You’d think a candidate running to regulate oil and gas wells in Texas would spend time talking about pipelines, flaring, or drilling permits. Instead, Republican Bo French decided to spend his Sunday morning sorting college football fans by skin color. And it blew up right in his face.
French, the GOP nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, shared a photo on social media capturing University of Texas students celebrating a massive home win over Ohio State. Most of the students in the shot were South Asian. French didn't see fans cheering for their team. He saw an excuse to rant about foreigners displacing Americans, whining that the student section looked like a problem.
The backlash was instant, brutal, and came largely from inside his own party.
When lifelong conservative heavyweights and mainstream Republican lawmakers start publicly trashing a nominee of their own party, you know a line got crossed. Outgoing U.S. Senator John Cornyn didn't mince words online, calling the posts intolerable and warning that this is how great political parties self-destruct. State representatives like Dustin Burrows and Jeff Leach chimed in with sharp rebukes, demanding deletions and apologies. Even veteran strategist Karl Rove reportedly broke decades of straight-ticket Republican voting habits to back Democrat Jon Rosenthal over French, labeling the candidate's behavior as outright bigotry.
Let's be clear about what's happening here. The Railroad Commission of Texas has zero jurisdiction over immigration quotas, border security, or university enrollment policies. It regulates the energy sector. Yet candidates often use inflammatory cultural grievances as cheap fuel to drive engagement online, gambling that outrage will shield them from scrutiny over their actual qualifications.
French didn't back down. True to form, he doubled down on conservative radio and his social media feeds, writing off internal critics as establishment sellouts or RINOs. He claimed the blowback proves who is truly dedicated to conservative principles.
Meanwhile, his Democratic opponent, Jon Rosenthal—an engineer with decades of oil and gas experience—watched his campaign chest swell overnight. Hundreds of new donors funneled thousands of dollars into Rosenthal's campaign accounts as voters questioned why an energy regulatory body should be handed to someone more interested in online culture wars than industry oversight.
When candidates treat public office as a megaphone for racial division rather than a job requiring technical competence, the fallout damages more than just election odds. It degrades public trust in vital state institutions.
Voters have a choice. You can reward politicians who weaponize identity for clout, or you can demand leaders who actually understand the job they are asking for.
