Sen. John Cornyn on Sept. 13, 2026 publicly condemned Bo French after the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner posted a social-media image he used to mock University of Texas students, saying other GOP officials should call out the “intolerance and racism.”
The senator’s criticism followed a post from Bo French that showed a crowd at the Texas-Ohio State game and read, “I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it,” a caption Mediaite reproduced from French’s X account. Mediaite reported Cornyn wrote on X: “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.”
French is the Republican nominee for one of three seats on the Railroad Commission of Texas, the Texas Standard reported in May 2026, and the outlet documented a history of inflammatory posts and remarks where he criticized Muslims and LGBTQ Texans. Texas Standard said French has repeatedly drawn scrutiny for online comments while serving as a Tarrant County GOP chair and during his run for statewide office.
Robert Downen, writing for Texas Standard, told the outlet that French “has made a series of statements criticizing Muslims, LGBTQ Texans and diversity initiatives,” and that his nomination signals how primary voters are moving to the right. The Texas Standard piece also noted French defeated incumbent Jim Wright in the Republican runoff for the seat.
The episode adds to a string of controversies over candidates’ social posts drawing public rebuke; some Republican officials and local leaders have previously demanded French be removed from party posts after earlier social-media incidents, the Texas Standard and Mediaite reporting show.
Cornyn’s X post and Mediaite’s coverage provide the direct text of both French’s original caption and Cornyn’s reply; the Texas Standard piece supplies background on French’s campaign and past remarks.
Sources
- Mediaite — Cornyn’s X post condemning French and the text of French’s social post.
- Texas Standard — background on Bo French’s nomination, past statements criticizing Muslims and LGBTQ Texans, and primary victory over incumbent Jim Wright.
