Former Tarrant County Republican Party Chair Bo French, who is running for railroad commissioner, speaks during a 2025 rally in Mansfield. The Texas GOP’s acceptance of French is a sign of rot.
Shafkat Anowar/Staff Photographer
This year’s primary elections have yielded a crop of alarming and extreme candidates in both parties, but few in Texas are as worrying as Bo French.
The former Tarrant County GOP chair is running for railroad commissioner — an office that’s responsible for regulating the oil and gas industry. His platform is largely unrelated to the actual office and he is known for frequent online bigotry and extremism.
That has not stopped French from working his way into the highest echelons of the Texas Republican Party. Gov. Greg Abbott recently posted a photo of himself with French, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, Attorney General Ken Paxton and others. They met to discuss strategy for the November election.
Article continues below this ad
It’s bad enough that party leaders embrace Paxton, but even Abbott and Patrick have expressed French’s unfitness. So why accept him now? We asked Abbott’s campaign that very question.
“Last week, Governor Abbott met with all statewide non-judicial candidates, including Bo French, who is running for a statewide seat,” a spokesperson wrote back (emphasis theirs).
Yes, that is a statement of the facts. But not exactly a ringing defense.
Abbott, Patrick and Burrows all endorsed French’s incumbent opponent, Jim Wright, in the railroad commission primary earlier this year. The base still chose French, though narrowly.
French’s campaign website now says Abbott has endorsed him. Abbott’s published list of endorsements does not appear to include French. A spokesperson for Abbott’s campaign did state, however, that he “has endorsed the entire Republican ticket.”
Article continues below this ad
Call us crazy, but it doesn’t seem that party leadership is enthused about French. So we’re still wondering why he was invited to this little strategy shindig.
We see this far too often. A candidate like French isn’t fit for a major party ticket. Abbott and Patrick know it. They basically said as much. But party is always, always more important than basic decency now. That’s so damaging for our state and nation.
French’s views and conduct online would make him unelectable in any healthy party. Accepting him now is just inviting ever more extreme views to center stage.
In June, French wrote on social media that, if he had the power, he would close and demolish all mosques and “denaturalize and deport every single Muslim.”
He has also expressed an irrational view of immigration that would be comical if he weren’t a general election candidate.
Article continues below this ad
“Denaturalize and deport foreigners. There are 100 million people in America who shouldn’t be here. Nothing else matters until we do that. It solves almost every problem,” he wrote in November.
There are about 343 million people in the United States.
Today, Texas GOP leaders are posing in photos with French and tacitly endorsing him as part of the “ticket.” Tomorrow, they are likely to find themselves opposed in primaries by people just like him or, worse still, adopting his ideas to keep the power they seem to cherish over decency.
Have thoughts about this? Send a letter to the editor using our letters form or email letters@dallasnews.com. Letters should be no more than 200 words and include the first and last name of the writer and city of residence.