A MAGA candidate in Texas is fundraising off of his racist social media post that drew condemnation from Democrats and Republicans alike.
Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas railroad commissioner, posted a photo on X on Sunday disparaging students of South Asian origin who were celebrating the University of Texas at Austin football team’s nail-biter of a win.
“I heard UT graduation this year looked like this,” he wrote. “I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”
Outgoing Republican Sen. John Cornyn blasted the post’s “intolerance and racism,” while longtime GOP strategist Karl Rove said he would vote Democrat for the first time in 30 years and support Jon Rosenthal over French, whom he called a “bigot.”
French, however, was quick to blame the “radical left” for the backlash to his post.
“The radical left and their allies are attacking me,” he wrote Monday in a fundraising post. “Join the thousands of patriots who are supporting our campaign.”
He also shared a post that was clearly inspired by President Donald Trump, writing, “If you want to save America, consider helping my campaign. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.”
The fundraising calls came after French had doubled down on his comments both on social media and in interviews with conservative media.
In one post, he claimed UT was “filled with foreign nationals and Leftists,” and that, “The voters I talk to want to return our institutions to serving the interests of citizens.”
Two of the students targeted by the original post hit back in an interview with The Dallas Morning News, saying they were U.S. citizens and that the post was “blatantly racist.”
Rahul Kodali, 21, was born in New York and moved to Texas as a toddler, while Dhairya Gupta, 21, moved to the U.S. from India when he was 5 years old and gained citizenship as a child.
“Whether or not we are immigrants, that doesn’t change anything,” Kodali told the newspaper. “I’ve been an American all my life.”
The vast majority of UT’s student body—or 80.5 percent—are Texas residents, according to the university, while students from other U.S. states make up another 10.2 percent and international enrollments represent 9.3 percent.
President Donald Trump also weighed in on the controversy, criticizing Rove—not French.
“Karl Rove is so bad for the Republican Party, and completely wrong so often,” he wrote. “Why does FoxNews and the WSJ keep his RINO Voice alive. The guy is a stone cold loser!”
“RINO” is a favorite MAGA slur that stands for “Republican in name only.”
Other notable MAGA figures in Texas—including Gov. Greg Abbott, attorney general and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick—have also refused to denounce French’s post.
All three have continued to endorse French in his race against Rosenthal, a mechanical engineer and Democratic state representative, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Abbott issued a carefully worded statement saying of French’s post, “That is not my message,” and calling for football fans and voters alike to “unite under the brand of Texas,” according to Politico.
Paxton has responded to requests for comment by attacking his opponent, rising Democrat star James Talarico, without mentioning French, Politico reported.
French has also come under fire for using anti-gay slurs online and insulting the Jewish and Muslim faiths when he chaired the Tarrant County Republican Party, KHOU 11 News Houston reported.
Privately, some Republican operatives in Texas are worried that his latest scandal will chip away at GOP support among Hispanics and other voters of color, who are already fed up with Trump’s economic agenda and violent immigration crackdown, Politico reported.
The Daily Beast has reached out to French for comment.
