The day Republican Bo French of Texas posted a message on X last month criticizing the number of South Asian college students attending a football game in Austin, his campaign recorded raising more than $25,000 in donations. The following day, when that post drew national headlines and bipartisan condemnation, his campaign recorded receiving $31,000 more.
French is running for Texas Railroad Commissioner, which regulates the state’s oil and energy industry. He raised more than $150,000 since his controversial post on Sept. 13, according to the latest campaign finance records released Tuesday by Texas officials.
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But during that same period, French’s Democratic opponent raised more than $350,000, according to those records. Donations to Democrat Jon E. Rosenthal during that period included $2,500 from the congressional campaign of Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Texas; $25,000 from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a prospective 2028 presidential candidate; and $50,000 from the Lone Star Project Nonfederal PAC.
French’s campaign did not immediately return an email seeking comment, but one contributor to the campaign said he was motivated to donate because of the backlash to French’s post.
“It just felt like a very disproportionate reaction to a throwaway tweet,” Andrew Beck, a partner at a brand consultancy firm, told Straight Arrow in a telephone interview. “It felt unnatural, it felt like it was coming from a lot of people in Austin.”
Austin and Travis County are Democratic strongholds within largely Republican-leaning Texas.
“We ultimately want a Republican to be in that seat, want a good Texan to be in there,” Beck said.
Beck also criticized “establishment Republicans” who criticized French after the post, describing them as being overly responsive to the verbiage of the candidate, rather than focusing on the candidate’s policies. Beck acknowledged that French’s post possibly “could have worded it better but, that’s not a reason to throw the race to a Democrat.”
