Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Prominent Texas Republicans are denouncing Bo French, a Republican nominee to join the state\u2019s railroad commission, after he made a xenophobic post describing a group of Asian American students attending a University of Texas football game as a \u201cproblem.\u201d<\/p>\n
French posted a photo on X<\/a> of UT students celebrating in the crowd and wrote: \u201cI heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn\u2019t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. John Cornyn immediately condemned the post as racist and called on other Republican officials to speak out.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the Republican nominee for statewide office,\u201d Cornyn wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cAre 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also rejected French\u2019s message in a statement shared with POLITICO, saying the picture instead showed Texans united behind their college football team, which had just defeated top-ranked Ohio State.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is not my message,\u201d Abbott said. \u201cA 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe way we win the state is the same way we win football games,\u201d Abbott added. \u201cWe unite under the brand of Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n Abbott also defended Texas\u2019 hard-line immigration policies, saying unity \u201cdoesn\u2019t mean that Texas cannot also lead in having the toughest immigration laws of any state in America and freezing H1B visas at our universities.\u201d<\/p>\n Several Republican members of the Texas House also joined in the backlash. State Rep. Lacey Hull urged French to remove<\/a> the post, writing: \u201cThis post breaks my heart. I see college kids cheering on their football team. I see Texans.\u201d<\/p>\n State Rep. Jared Patterson called the post \u201cracist\u201d and said it demeaned students because of their race or ethnicity.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is absolutely nothing Christian or conservative about looking at a crowd of young Texans at a college football game, seeing the color of their skin, and declaring that they are a \u2018problem,\u2019\u201d Patterson wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cThese are 20-year-old kids cheering for their university \u2014 not political props and not targets for racial attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows similarly wrote that<\/a> opposing immigration policy does not justify \u201cdemeaning people because of their race or ethnicity,\u201d adding that French\u2019s post has \u201ccrossed the line\u201d and should be deleted. State Rep. Jeff Leach offered a more succinct request<\/a>: \u201cDelete this, Bo.\u201d<\/p>\n But French also drew support from some Republicans who attacked Cornyn for condemning him. Former Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi accused Cornyn<\/a> and other Republicans of mortgaging \u201cour children\u2019s future for government handouts and cheap labor,\u201d while state Rep. Andy Hopper called Cornyn a \u201csmug globalist\u201d<\/a> who had brought the policies at issue to Texas.<\/p>\n Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running to succeed Cornyn, responded to a request for comment by attacking his Democratic opponent. He did not mention French<\/p>\n French has repeatedly engaged in inflammatory rhetoric. Earlier this year, he suggested Republicans should fear Islam<\/a> and advocated for deporting 100 million people.<\/p>\n Representatives for French and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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