Republican Bo French has lost the Texas Railroad Commission election to Democrat Jon Rosenthal, following a campaign marked by controversy over French’s social media posts targeting South Asian students at the University of Texas at Austin.
Rosenthal defeated French in the November 3 general election, winning 52.8% of the vote against French’s 45.5%, according to Texas election results updated on Nov. 4. Libertarian candidate Arthur DiBianca received 1.8%. Rosenthal’s victory will end more than three decades of Republican control of the Texas Railroad Commission, the three-member body responsible for regulating the state’s oil and gas industry. The last Democrat to win a seat on the commission did so in 1990.
French’s campaign drew national attention in September after he posted a photograph of South Asian students celebrating the University of Texas Longhorns’ dramatic comeback victory over Ohio State during a college football game.
READ: ‘Make College Football Great Again’: Education Dept. ‘racist’ post linked to Bo French controversy draws backlash (September 21, 2026)
The photograph showed students in burnt-orange clothing cheering from the stands after the Longhorns’ victory. French used the image to question the presence of students of South Asian descent at the university and made claims about foreigners replacing Americans.
In one post on X, French wrote: “Like body-cams exposed criminals, social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners.”
In a follow-up post featuring the same photograph, he wrote: “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 posts prompted criticism from students, political figures and members of his own party, who questioned why French appeared to associate students’ ethnicity with their citizenship or immigration status.
French doubles down as Republicans condemn remarks
Rather than retracting the posts, French defended his position during an appearance on the Mark Davis Show, a conservative radio program, on Sept. 14.
He argued that the controversy was about whether public policies should prioritize Americans or foreigners. “I don’t have anything against the people specifically in that picture,” French said during the interview. “I think that the bigger conversation is, are we going to have policies to prioritize Americans … or are we going to have policies that prioritize foreigners? And I think most people in the America First movement think we ought to be prioritizing Americans.”
French also dismissed criticism from prominent Republicans, suggesting that those attacking him were less conservative members of the party.
“The establishment raised and spent $7 million against me in the primary,” he said. “Many of the people who criticized me yesterday were some of the same people involved in that effort. It’s no surprise that the less-conservative people in Texas are the ones attacking me.”
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn was among the Republicans who condemned French’s remarks.
“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,” Cornyn wrote on X.
Texas state Rep. Drew Darby also criticized French’s remarks, describing them as racism and calling on him to delete the post and apologize.
READ: Texas GOP nominee Bo French faces backlash over racist remarks targeting South Asians (September 15, 2026)
Former Republican strategist Karl Rove went further, saying he would vote for Rosenthal despite having supported Republican candidates for decades. Rove described French as a “bigot” during a private event in Austin, according to The Texas Tribune.
The controversy also drew responses from South Asian American lawmakers and students. Illinois Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said South Asian Americans were as American as anyone else. Dhairya Gupta, a University of Texas student and U.S. citizen who was among those reacting to the controversy, told CNN that the photograph could not establish whether the students were American citizens or foreign nationals.
“At the end of the day, we’re all at the same school and we’re all Texans. We’re all Americans — watching the game and having fun,” Gupta said.
Victory gives Democrats a foothold on powerful oil regulator
Rosenthal, a Houston-area state representative and former oil and gas engineer, will become the first Democrat to serve on the three-member Texas Railroad Commission in more than 30 years.
The commission oversees oil and gas production, pipelines, natural gas facilities, well plugging and oil-field waste. Despite its name, it has no regulatory authority over railroads.
Rosenthal’s victory came amid a broader Democratic breakthrough in Texas in the November midterm elections. His campaign focused on oversight and transparency in the oil and gas industry, while French’s campaign also attracted attention for his positions on immigration and cultural issues.
French previously served as chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party. His remarks about South Asian students added to earlier controversies over his comments on religious groups and immigration. The election result brings an end to his bid for a statewide position and gives Democrats an opportunity to regain representation on one of Texas’ most influential energy regulators.