Karl Rove Breaks 32 Years of Party Loyalty Over Texas Railroad Race
Karl Rove called Texas Railroad Commission nominee Bo French "a bigot" and said he will vote for Democrat Jon Rosenthal over him. The Guardian
Rove was the longtime political adviser to former President George W. Bush. He told a private event in Austin on Sunday that he could not support French for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, the state office that regulates oil and gas. He said he was outraged by French's comments. A vote for Rosenthal would break a 32-year run of backing only Republicans.
The remarks followed a post by French on X on Sunday. French, the Republican nominee campaigning for Texas' oil regulatory agency, shared a photograph of non-Caucasian students wearing team attire celebrating the University of Texas's football victory over top-ranked Ohio State. He captioned the photo: "I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn't believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined."
The post targeted South Asian students seen celebrating the Texas win. French faced growing backlash after using the photo of University of Texas students. He stood by his remarks after the backlash. Houston Public Media
Rove is a longtime Texas GOP political consultant. Rosenthal is a Houston Democrat running to serve on the Texas Railroad Commission. Rove said he will vote for Rosenthal over French. He made the comments at a private lunch. The Texas Tribune published an article titled "Karl Rove will vote for Democrat over Bo French" on September 14, 2026. Texas Tribune
The backlash widened quickly. Several Texas Republicans condemned French's posts calling Asian students at UT a 'problem'. The University of Texas responded after French's posts. Students targeted by French called his comments "disgusting". The Washington Post
President Donald Trump publicly blasted Rove on Monday, calling him "so bad for the Republican Party." The Hill French did not soften his position.
The broader context here is a party handling a nominee controversy under national attention. Intraparty condemnation, a high-profile cross-party vote pledge, a university response, and a presidential rebuke of the critic all happened within days. That stand matters for a nominee seeking statewide regulatory authority. Whether other Texas Republicans join in condemnation or distance themselves from Rove will shape ballot cohesion. Whether Rosenthal can turn Republican disaffection into organization and fundraising will shape competitiveness. Whether French calculates that standing firm limits further defections will shape the rest of the campaign, with each new statement raising the cost of silence for others.
