Republicans criticize racist social media post by Texas member running for office

Key Points:

• Karl Rove, a senior Republican and former adviser to George W. Bush, condemned Texas candidate Bo French as a "bigot" over a racist social media post targeting non-white University of Texas football fans and announced he will vote for the Democratic rival Jon Rosenthal instead.
• French posted a photo of non-Caucasian students celebrating a Texas football victory, implying the university's demographics were a problem, which sparked backlash from prominent Republicans including Senator John Cornyn and Governor Greg Abbott, who emphasized unity and condemned bigotry.
• Other Texas Republicans, including state senator Lacey Hull and the university’s board of regents chair Kevin Eltife, also criticized French’s post, urging respect for all students and calling the divisive rhetoric harmful.
• French defended himself by labeling his critics as "less conservative" and blamed establishment Republicans for opposing him during the primary, highlighting internal party divisions over extremist and racist messaging.
• Similar controversies have emerged with other Republican candidates nationwide, such as Brandon Herrera’s offensive social media comments, Peter Oberacker’s Nazi tribute post, and Marshall Rowson’s ties to white supremacist groups, indicating a broader pattern of extremist elements within some GOP campaigns.