Texas Republicans go into full-blown internal war with GOP candidate Bo French after his racist tirade against asian UT students goes public

Texas Republicans are turning on their own Railroad Commission nominee after Bo French targeted Asian students at the University of Texas in a series of social media posts. The backlash has now split Republican officials between those demanding French back down and those defending him while attacking his critics.

Per TexasTribune, French shared a photo of South Asian students celebrating in the stands during a Texas Longhorns football game. He claimed the image showed “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners,” then said the situation at UT was “far worse than anyone imagined.”

The comments quickly drew criticism from prominent Republicans, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Cornyn called French the party’s “Republican nominee for statewide office” and questioned if Republican officials would condemn what he described as intolerance and racism.

Republicans are now openly fighting over French

The response from Texas Republicans has gone far beyond a single condemnation. House Speaker Dustin Burrows said the post had “crossed the line,” arguing that opposition to immigration policy does not justify attacking people based on race or ethnicity.

Former House Speaker Dade Phelan went further, calling French “unfit for office.” State Rep. Jared Patterson said Texans deserve Railroad Commissioners focused on doing their jobs rather than using a statewide campaign to promote racial division.

State Rep. Drew Darby also demanded an apology from French. Darby warned that the Legislature’s trust in those serving on the Railroad Commission could be revisited if French did not show the competence and fairness expected from someone holding the position.

But French has shown no sign of backing down. Instead, he attacked Cornyn as a “RINO,” or Republican in name only, while accusing him and others of putting foreign nationals ahead of American citizens.

This is not the first time French’s rhetoric has put him at odds with members of his own party. Republican leaders previously called for him to resign as Tarrant County GOP chair after he posted a social media poll asking if Jews or Muslims posed a greater threat to America.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was among those who criticized French at the time. Patrick later backed French’s Republican primary opponent, although his position reportedly changed after French secured the nomination for Railroad Commissioner.

For now, the Republican Party has no unified response to the controversy. Some prominent Republicans are demanding that French apologize or retract his remarks. Others are treating the backlash as another fight over immigration and the direction of the party.