Karl Rove said he will vote for Jon Rosenthal after Bo French posted racist comments about South Asian students at the University of Texas at Austin. Rove made the remarks at a members-only lunch at the Headliners Club in Austin and called French a “bigot.”
Rove said the vote is only the second time he has backed a Democrat. He said the first was Bob Bullock, the Texas Lt. Gov. who was up for reelection in 1994.
Bo French on Sunday
French shared a post on X on Sunday showing a photo of the student section after a Texas Longhorn victory against Ohio State. He referred to the students as foreigners who displaced Americans without having any information about their status. In the same post, he wrote, “I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”
Rove praised one of his students of South Asian descent, calling him one of the more hardworking people he’d taught and saying the student was a Texan at heart. He also praised Texas Republicans for decrying French’s comments. Enzo Fernández apology deepens Racism In Argentina debate is one example of how public backlash can widen after a single post.
Monday in Austin
French doubled down on Monday and said Republicans who criticized him were less conservative. That response kept the dispute alive after the first wave of criticism from Democrats and Republicans and left French carrying the charge into the Texas Railroad Commission race.
Rove’s comments came as the election for that seat tightened around character and judgment as much as policy. His break with French also put him at odds with President Donald Trump, who said on Monday on Truth Social that Rove was bad for Republicans, often wrong, and suffered from a major case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
The immediate political consequence is straightforward: Rove has now publicly chosen Rosenthal, and French’s remarks have become part of the race’s closing argument. What remains in the open is what specific consequences, if any, French will face after doubling down on the comments.
