A decisive college football victory for the University of Texas has ignited a political dispute among Texas Republicans, centering on allegations of racism following a social media post about the game's attendees.
The controversy began after Bo French, the Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner, shared a screenshot of a group of fans of color at the game, which Texas won 24-23 against the then-No. 1 ranked Ohio State. French commented, "I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined."
His remarks drew immediate criticism from Democratic rivals and prompted responses from several prominent Republicans, including Governor Greg Abbott. Abbott stated, "A selective picture of Longhorn fans celebrating our biggest home victory - ever - actually shows a way that Texans unite. We all support our college football teams."
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows urged French to retract the post, saying, "You can oppose immigration policy without demeaning people because of their race or ethnicity - this post has crossed the line." State Representative Lacey Hull also criticized French, expressing that his comments "break my heart" and that she saw "college kids cheering on their football team. I see Texans."
Senator John Cornyn called for broader condemnation of intolerance and racism, posting on X, "This is the Republican nominee for statewide office. 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."
James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate, echoed Cornyn's sentiments, thanking him for his leadership and stating, "Racism has no place in Texas." Talarico then questioned his Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, on whether he would "condemn this blatant racism" or "cower to extremists?"
Paxton responded by accusing Talarico of dividing Texans by race and referenced past statements made by Talarico. "I condemn racism in all its forms, including James Talarico saying white men are America's top terror threat and that he prays to overcome his own 'whiteness,' whatever that means," Paxton said. He added that he would "continue to focus on uniting our State and bringing together the broadest possible coalition to fight for Texas, our values, and our families."
On Monday, French defended his remarks, telling conservative radio host Mark Davis that he did not have anything against the individuals in the picture. He framed the issue as a matter of policy, stating, "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."
According to university statistics from September 2025, less than 10 percent of all students at the University of Texas are international.