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A photo of students celebrating the University of Texas’ upset over Ohio State lit up social media this week after a local Republican candidate turned a snapshot of college football joy into a national controversy. Bo French, the GOP nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner and one-time Tarrant County GOP chair, shared the image and used the moment to attack the crowd’s appearance rather than celebrate a Longhorn victory.
French’s posts went further, accusing the scene of showing “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners” and snidely suggesting “UT graduation this year looked like this,” language that many rightly called xenophobic and un-Christian. The photo widely circulated online showed students who appeared to be of South Asian descent cheering in burnt orange, and critics pointed out French was labeling people “foreigners” with no information about their citizenship.
The backlash was swift and bipartisan within Texas’ GOP: U.S. Senator John Cornyn and several state Republican leaders publicly condemned the remarks and urged French to delete the posts and apologize. Even industry groups and party allies distanced themselves, reminding conservatives that crude, racially-tinged attacks are both morally wrong and politically self-defeating.
Make no mistake: conservatives should not mince words when a fellow Republican traffics in ugly rhetoric. We are the party of respect, family, faith, and the rule of law, not of petty racial barbs. Those values win elections and build coalitions; cheap, divisive commentary from candidates only hands the media and the left another excuse to paint our movement as intolerant.
At the same time, real policy concerns about immigration, merit-based admissions, and cultural cohesion deserve a sober, persuasive conservative case — not Twitter grandstanding. If voters are worried about who benefits from university admissions or how immigration policy affects communities, the response is better policy proposals, clearer messaging, and a focus on patriotism and assimilation that unites rather than fractures.
Mr. French reportedly doubled down before many had the chance to coach him through a simple apology, which underscores another urgent point for the right: vet candidates properly and demand discipline. We need leaders who can defend conservative principles vigorously while maintaining the decency and rhetorical discipline that persuades swing voters and reflects the best of American values.
College football should be a shared American experience — a place where young people from every background cheer for a common cause and learn to love their state and country. Conservatives should celebrate that unity, call out bad actors on our side, and convert legitimate frustration into constructive policy and persuasive courtroom-quality arguments, not ugly social media barbs.
