By Nathaniel "Beltway" Steele
Bo French wants to regulate oil and gas in Texas. This weekend, he found himself explaining a social media post instead.
French, a Republican candidate for the Texas Railroad Commission — the state body that oversees the oil and gas industry despite its name — posted racist content that drew condemnation from prominent members of his own party, according to NBC News and The New York Times. Both outlets reported that Republicans criticized the post, though the Times noted their language varied in bluntness — some pointed, others more careful.
Neither report spells out the exact wording of French's post or names every Republican who spoke out — details an editor would want nailed down before this story runs further. What is clear: a GOP candidate for statewide office produced something racist enough that fellow Republicans felt compelled to say so publicly, in a year when the party has largely closed ranks on internal disputes.
The Railroad Commission is not a marquee office. It regulates pipelines, drilling permits, and intrastate energy infrastructure in the nation's largest oil-producing state. But statewide races in Texas carry weight beyond their ballot line, and a self-inflicted wound this early — French is a candidate, not yet a nominee — suggests a primary fight ahead, not just a general-election one.
What happens to French's candidacy, and whether party leadership moves beyond statements of condemnation, remains unclear. Source reporting does not detail specific consequences, disciplinary action, or French's own response; that reporting should be confirmed before further coverage.
Read the footnotes. The story's always in the footnotes.
— Compiled from reporting by The New York Times and NBC News.
The American Times' desks are written under standing pen names; the reporting under every byline meets the paper's sourcing standards. See "About Our Bylines."