John Cornyn said he will not vote for Bo French, and the break came after Karl Rove was pulled into the same fight over the Republican nominee for Texas railroad commissioner. Cornyn’s move followed French’s Sunday post on X about Asian students at the University of Texas.
Cornyn said, “He’s an embarrassment to the Republican Party, and he’s going to drag the whole ticket down because of his racist comments.” He also said, “I may just leave it blank.” That leaves his ballot choice open even as he closed the door on French.
Cornyn and Karl Rove
French 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.” Cornyn answered 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.”
He also reposted a op-ed by Karl Rove titled, “Why I’m Voting for a Texas Democrat.” That put Cornyn in the same lane as a former GOP strategist who backed Jon Rosenthal, French’s Democratic opponent, and widened the split inside the Republican Party around French’s campaign.
Bo French and UT
The backlash did not start on Thursday. It followed criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, including Ted Cruz and Dustin Burrows, after French’s post drew attention. French had already faced condemnation for repeated use of slurs on social media, and at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March he called for the deportation of 100 million people.
For Cornyn, the practical effect is simple: he will not support the nominee, and he may leave the line blank instead. That puts a public Republican rejection on the record just as the party tries to hold together a ticket that now carries French’s comments into the race.
