Cornyn says he won't vote for Texas Republican Bo French after controversial post

GOP strategist Karl Rove also said he wouldn't vote for French.

Outgoing Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said Thursday that he would not vote for Bo French for Texas railroad commissioner following the candidate's "racist comments," which have drawn intense pushback from lawmakers.

"He's an embarrassment to the Republican Party, and he's going to drag the whole ticket down because of his racist comments," Cornyn told the Washington Examiner of French, who is running to be Texas' rail commissioner, a statewide position that regulates the state's oil and natural gas production.

Cornyn said he was unsure whether he would vote for Democratic candidate Jon Rosenthal: "I may just leave it blank."

In this July 15, 2026, file photo, Sen. John Cornyn arrives before Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.Allison Robbert/AP Photo, FILEFrench on Sunday posted to social media an image showing a group of students celebrating Texas' upset win over Ohio State. Many among them are students of color.

"I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined," French said, referring to the students in the photo.

"I cheered the win for the team. It was a great game. But I weep for the families in Texas who can’t get into UT because they prioritize foreigners over Texans," French later added to his post.

It’s not clear whether any of the students in the photo were international students.

In this March 27, 2026, file photo, Bo French, candidate for the Texas Railroad Commission, attends the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) USA 2026 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, in Grapevine, Texas.Callaghan O'Hare/Reuters, FILETexas law mandates UT Austin reserve 90% of its undergraduate spots for Texas residents, and that the university "may not offer admission to first-time undergraduate students who are not residents of this state," including international students, beyond 10% of enrollment.

Furthermore, there are fewer than 2,000 international students at UT Austin, making up 4.3% of the more than 44,000 students enrolled in total, according to the university's 2025-26 admissions data.

Several lawmakers have denounced French's post, arguing French’s claims are directly racist.

Republican Strategist Karl Rove, who served as an adviser to President George W. Bush, condemned the comments in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Wednesday, saying he would be voting for French's Democratic opponent in the election for railroad commissioner.

"The GOP’s stables need a cleaning. This is a good place to start," Rove wrote.

The Republican Party of Texas has largely stayed silent on its candidate and did not respond to ABC News' request for comment; French's campaign also did not respond to an ABC News request for comment.

"Mocking or criticizing a crowd because of the way people look is not just offensive, it is fundamentally at odds with the values that make America what it is," Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder said.

Texas Democrats went on to criticize the state Republican Party's silence, and the lack of pushback from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The governor did not immediately respond for comment when asked by ABC News.

Cornyn had earlier called on Republicans in the state to call out French for his comments.

"Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized," Cornyn wrote in a social media post on Sunday. "This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad."

Cornyn later said in a post that the "Republican Party is better than this. We should all condemn this bigotry directed at our fellow Texans or we will soon find ourselves a minority party."

Other prominent lawmakers joined Cornyn in denouncing French's post, including Republican Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows. 

"You can oppose immigration policy without demeaning people because of their race or ethnicity -- this post has crossed the line," Burrows said. "Delete it."

French responded to criticism online, claiming that the "radical left and their allies” were attacking him, promoting his campaign's fundraising website.

French, speaking on a conservative radio broadcast on Monday, doubled down on his posts.

"I don’t have anything against the people specifically in that picture," French said. "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."