Bo French was elected Tarrant Count GOP chair in October 2023 and has stirred controversy, even facing calls to resign, for some of his posts on social media. <\/p>\n
TARRANT COUNTY, Texas \u2014 Tarrant County GOP chair Bo French, whose social media posts have caused notable controvers<\/a>ies, announced Wednesday that he plans to run for statewide office.\u00a0<\/p>\n French said he won’t seek re-election as the Tarrant County GOP chair and will instead run in 2026 for Texas Railroad Commissioner, which regulates the oil and gas industry in Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Texas Railroad Commission has three members, elected statewide to six-year, staggered terms, and the commissioners select who serves as chair.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Today I resigned as TCGOP Chairman, and am running for the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the Texas oil and gas industry,” French wrote in a\u00a0post on X<\/a>, formerly Twitter.<\/p>\n “Texas oil and gas made America great and literally fueled the fight for freedom across the world,” French said in a statement. “I’m running for Railroad Commissioner to put American citizens, American interests, and American energy first.”<\/p>\n French has stirred controversy for his posts on social media, and even faced calls to resign\u00a0<\/a>from some within his party, during his time as Tarrant County GOP chair. He was elected to lead the Tarrant County GOP in October 2023, as our content partners at the\u00a0Fort Worth Star-Telegram report<\/a>.<\/p>\n After a post in June in which French called on his social media followers to vote in a poll asking if “Jews” or “Muslims” are the bigger threat to America, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. John Cornyn denounced the post and called on French to resign.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Bo French\u2019s words do not reflect my values nor the values of the Republican Party. Antisemitism and religious bigotry have no place in Texas,” Patrick wrote at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Before Patrick’s post, French deleted the poll and posted a statement\u00a0<\/a>in which he said he regretted posting the poll.\u00a0<\/p>\n