Republican candidate Bo French conceded defeat to Democrat Jon Rosenthal in the Texas Railroad Commissioner race following criticism over xenophobic social media posts targeting South Asian students.
French's posts, which claimed Americans were being "displaced by foreigners," triggered widespread outrage across Tarrant County and the broader state.
Rosenthal's victory breaks decades of Republican control over the powerful state commission regulating Texas's oil and gas industry.
Republican Candidate Criticised For Racist Post Concedes Defeat In A Texas Election
Republican Bo French concedes defeat to Democrat Jon Rosenthal in the Texas Railroad Commissioner race following international backlash over anti-immigrant and xenophobic social media posts targeting South Asian and Indian students
Summary
Republican candidate Bo French, who faced widespread criticism on social media over his racist posts, has conceded defeat in the Texas Railroad Commissioner election to Democrat Jon Rosenthal.
French faced backlash after posting an image of an event at a Texas university showing a gathering of predominantly South Asian people, including Indians.
"I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined," he posted on social media in September.
"Like body-cams exposed criminals, social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners. It’s everywhere and far worse than any of us could imagine," he said in another post on the same day.
Although he was contesting the election for Railroad Commissioner, he invited criticism from across the world on social media, including India, for his remarks.
Bo French conceded Tuesday night to Jon Rosenthal, a dramatic upset that broke decades of complete Republican control over Texas’ oil and gas commission.
"Tonight wasn’t the night our campaign had hoped for," French posted on social media.
French thanked his supporters, saying, "I will never forget your dedication, your friendship, and, above all, your love for the great state of Texas."
Rosenthal declared victory after Bo French conceded although final results are yet to be declared, the Texas Tribune reported.
The Texas Railroad Commission oversees the state’s oil and gas industry, including drilling, pipelines, natural gas facilities, well plugging and oil-field waste, Fox 4 news portal reported.
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