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Democrat Jon Rosenthal defeats Republican Bo French in ugly race for Texas railroad commissioner
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- Democrat Jon Rosenthal won the Texas Railroad Commissioner race, defeating Republican Bo French amid controversy over French's racist, anti-Muslim, and antisemitic remarks.
- With about 93% of votes counted, Rosenthal led French 52.5% to 45.6%, marking a significant win as the last Democrat to hold the position was in 1990.
- The Texas Railroad Commission regulates the state's vital oil and gas industry, which produces over 40% of U.S. crude oil; Rosenthal is an experienced oil field engineer and current state representative.
- French faced widespread condemnation from prominent Texas Republicans, including Senator John Cornyn and Karl Rove, for his inflammatory social media posts targeting immigrants, Muslims, and Jews.
- Despite the backlash, French raised over $700,000 during the campaign, but Rosenthal's victory reflects voter rejection of French's divisive rhetoric in a challenging year for Texas Republicans.
