Story perspectives

Texas GOP Faces Backlash Over Bo French Racist Post

By Drooid · Sep 15, 2026, 3:05 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Candidate Bo French posted an X photo of students celebrating the Longhorns’ win, calling them displaced.
Sen. John Cornyn, Dustin Burrows, Jeff Leach and Lacey Hull condemned French’s post racist and demanded deletion.
Jon Rosenthal added 500 donors and $35,000 after Karl Rove pledged to vote for him, calling French a bigot.
Gov. Greg Abbott called the photograph selective, did not condemn French, and reiterated Texas’ tough immigration stance.

History

Historical Context

In 1994, George W. Bush unseated Democratic Governor Ann Richards, a hallmark of the Republican Revolution that began shifting Texas toward GOP dominance. His 1998 re-election captured 68% of the vote—a 37-point margin, the largest for a Republican governor—and helped forge the partisan climate that now fuels immigration disputes involving officials such as John Cornyn and Greg Abbott.

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Story summary

Candidate Bo French posted an X photo of students celebrating the Longhorns’ win, calling them displaced.
Sen. John Cornyn, Dustin Burrows, Jeff Leach and Lacey Hull condemned French’s post racist and demanded deletion.
Jon Rosenthal added 500 donors and $35,000 after Karl Rove pledged to vote for him, calling French a bigot.
Gov. Greg Abbott called the photograph selective, did not condemn French, and reiterated Texas’ tough immigration stance.

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