Democrat wins Texas railroad commissioner race after Republican Bo French faced backlash over racist comments

Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal has won the race for Texas railroad commissioner, NBC News projects, defeating Republican Bo French, who faced widespread backlash in his own party and beyond for anti-immigrant, Islamophobic and antisemitic comments.

Rosenthal will be one of three members of the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas production in the state. Members serve six-year terms.

Rosenthal, a mechanical engineer, campaigned on a platform of lowering energy costs for Texans, implementing guardrails for data centers and weatherization requirements for gas production, and banning industry donations to commissioners.

He has served in the state House since 2019, representing the north-central region of Houston. Now, he joins a new slate of incoming Democratic officeholders, including Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa and Sen.-elect James Talarico.

French, the former Tarrant County Republican Party chair, had a history of making discriminatory remarks, including one that made national news in the middle of the campaign.

He drew significant criticism in September after he posted an image on X of students from the University of Texas, some of whom appeared to be South Asian or Indian. 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.”

Hours later, he reposted the same photo and cited it as an example showing that “Americans have been displaced by foreigners.”

The remarks were met with strong condemnation from prominent Texas Republicans.

Sen. John Cornyn said he wouldn’t vote for French. Karl Rove, the longtime GOP consultant and former adviser to President George W. Bush, said not only that he wouldn’t vote for French, but also that he would vote for Rosenthal, instead. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, another Republican, endorsed Rosenthal ahead of the election.

“The Texas Railroad Commission is not a place for culture wars and bigotry — it’s the foundation of the Texas economy, and we cannot afford to hand it to the wrong leader,” Parker said in a statement shared by Rosenthal’s campaign.

When French announced his bid for the statewide position, he said he was fighting back against Islam. In an appearance at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, he said his party should embrace Islamophobia and deport 100 million people.

“I’m going to say something that’s going to make some people uncomfortable: The problem is, we call it Sharia [law], but the problem is actually Islam,” French said, according to The Texas Tribune. “If they can infiltrate Texas and conquer Texas, then what’s going to happen? They’re going to be able to control the United States.”

When French chaired the Tarrant County Republican Party, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, another fellow Republican, called on him to resign after he reportedly posted a poll online asking whether “Jews” or “Muslims” pose a bigger threat to the U.S.

“Bo French’s words do not reflect my values nor the values of the Republican Party,” Patrick said on X. “Antisemitism and religious bigotry have no place in Texas.”

Asked in an interview with WFAA-TV of Dallas in July whether he regretted the controversial comments against minority groups, French said he did not, adding, “Truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth.”