U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Sunday denounced Republican Railroad Commission nominee Bo French after French posted about University of Texas fans celebrating a 24-23 win over Ohio State in Austin.
French shared a photo of a racially diverse group of Longhorns fans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and wrote on X, “I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.” In a follow-up, the Star-Telegram and Dallas Morning News reported, French said the image showed “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners.”
Cornyn, a fellow Republican, replied on X that French is “the Republican nominee for statewide office” and asked whether other GOP officials would “condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized.” House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Republican state Reps. Jeff Leach and Lacey Hull later criticized French and urged him to delete the post, the Dallas Morning News reported.
This is the Republican nominee for statewide office. Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized. This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad. https://t.co/TO1dTXKd6G
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) September 13, 2026
French did not retract the comments. The Dallas Morning News said he later called Cornyn an “America Last” loser and argued state institutions had been “overrun by illegal aliens and foreign nationals.” Politico reported some Republicans backed French and attacked Cornyn instead.
Gov. Greg Abbott did not denounce the post Sunday. According to the Dallas Morning News and FOX 4, Abbott said a “selective picture” of UT fans showed how Texans can unite, while also pointing to state immigration policies and limits on H-1B visas at universities.
FOX 4 noted Texas law requires at least 90% of UT Austin freshmen to be Texas residents, and international students make up only about 4% of recent freshman classes. USA TODAY reported Texas residents accounted for more than 80% of UT Austin enrollment in 2025-26, with international students under 10%.
French, a former Tarrant County GOP chair, won a May runoff over incumbent Jim Wright. He faces Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston on Nov. 3. Rosenthal called the posts “horrible,” the Dallas Morning News reported. The Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas; a Democrat has not held a seat in decades.
