Bo French, a Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, posted comments on social media in mid-September that featured a photograph of University of Texas students appearing to be of South Asian descent celebrating their football team’s victory. French’s accompanying caption suggested the students were “foreigners” and expressed concern about the composition of the university’s student body. The post prompted swift criticism from prominent Texas Republican figures, including outgoing U.S. Senator John Cornyn, who called on other party officials to condemn the “intolerance and racism” rather than normalize such statements. State representatives Lacey Hull and Jared Patterson also issued public rebukes, with Patterson characterizing the post as racist. Governor Greg Abbott released a statement indicating disapproval and emphasizing shared Texan identity among football fans of all backgrounds.
French’s history of controversial statements is longstanding. He had previously polled followers on whether Jews or Muslims posed a greater threat to Americans, prompting calls for his resignation from a party leadership position. He has also proposed large-scale deportations of various groups and made negative characterizations of Native Americans. Despite this record, state Republican leaders had endorsed French following his primary victory over an establishment-backed incumbent in May and remained silent when he leveled accusations of anti-Christian sentiment against his Democratic opponent, who is Jewish.
Observers noted that the response to the football stadium comments represented an unusual turning point for party leaders. Some analysts suggested the criticism reflected electoral concerns about alienating Texas’s growing nonwhite voting population ahead of November elections. Others pointed to the particular significance of university football culture in Texas, suggesting that French’s mockery of students engaged in a cherished collective ritual crossed a threshold that previous statements had not. Abbott’s statement employed language of shared identity and the Texas “brand,” indicating that participation in the state’s football traditions constitutes a form of belonging that transcends other political divides.
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