Bo French, speaking to county commissioners in this 2024 photo, was criticized after a series of social media posts targeting South Asian students.
Chris Torres
ctorres@star-telegram.com
The Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner was criticized after a series of posts on X Sunday targeting a diverse group of students at the Texas football game.
Bo French shared a photo of students of South Asian descent cheering for the Longhorns after their Saturday night win over Ohio State and wrote that “social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners.”
In another post sharing the same photo French wrote: “I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”
U.S. Senator John Cornyn, who lost his primary bid to Attorney General Ken Paxton in May, condemned French’s post on X.
“This is the Republican nominee for statewide office,” Cornyn said in his post. “Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized. This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad.”
James Talarico, the Democratic nominee U.S. Senate, thanked Cornyn for speaking out. “Racism has no place in Texas,” Talarico said in his post.
French, of Westover Hills, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that he did not share French’s message.
“A selective picture of Longhorn fans celebrating our biggest home victory-ever-actually shows a way that Texans unite. We all support our college football teams. The way we win the state is the same way we win football games. We unite under the brand of Texas,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that Texas cannot also lead in having the toughest immigration laws of any state in America and freezing H1B visas at our universities.”
Other state lawmakers, including House Speaker Dustin Burrows of Lubbock and Republican state Rep. Lacey Hull of Houston, also criticized French and asked him to delete the post.
“You can oppose immigration policy without demeaning people because of their race or ethnicity — this post has crossed the line. Delete it,” Burrows said in his post.
Responding to French’s post, the Texas Democratic Party said in a statement that America is a celebration of diversity.
“Our country is strongest when people from different backgrounds, cultures, faiths and traditions come together and share a common belief in the promise of this nation,” the statement said. “There is nothing un-American about a crowd that reflects the incredible diversity of the people who call America home.”
Leaders of the GOP have previously asked for French’s removal after he published a social media poll in June 2025 asking whether Jews or Muslims were a bigger threat to America.
At the time, French was chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party.
Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was among those demanding his resignation as party chair.
“Bo French’s words do not reflect my values nor the values of the Republican Party. Antisemitism and religious bigotry have no place in Texas,” Patrick posted on X on Friday evening. “I am calling for the immediate resignation and replacement of @BoFrenchTX as @tarrantgop Chairman.”
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Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and other breaking news in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered a variety of general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal.