Rosenthal wins Texas railroad commissioner race after backlash against French

Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal has won election to the Texas Railroad Commission, defeating Republican Bo French, according to an NBC News projection. French’s campaign drew widespread criticism, including from prominent members of his own party, over anti-immigrant, Islamophobic and antisemitic comments.

Rosenthal will serve a six-year term on the three-member commission responsible for regulating Texas oil and gas production. A mechanical engineer, he made lower energy costs a central campaign issue. His proposals also included guardrails for data centers, weatherization requirements for gas production and a prohibition on commissioners accepting industry donations.

Since 2019, Rosenthal has represented north-central Houston in the Texas House. His victory places him among a group of incoming Democratic officeholders that also includes Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa and Sen.-elect James Talarico.

French, who previously chaired the Tarrant County Republican Party, attracted national attention in September over posts about University of Texas students. He shared a photograph on X in which some students appeared to be South Asian or Indian, presenting their presence as evidence of a problem. Several hours later, he posted the photograph again and claimed that “Americans have been displaced by foreigners.”

The posts prompted sharp responses from Texas Republicans. Sen. John Cornyn said he would not vote for French. Republican consultant Karl Rove, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, went further, saying he would cast his ballot for Rosenthal. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker also endorsed the Democrat before the election. In a statement distributed by Rosenthal’s campaign, Parker condemned bigotry and culture wars while stressing the commission’s importance to the state economy.

French had also made Islam a target when announcing his candidacy for the statewide office. At the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, he urged Republicans to embrace Islamophobia and called for deporting 100 million people. According to The Texas Tribune, he argued that Islam itself was the problem and claimed that gaining control of Texas would allow Muslims to control the United States.

During French’s tenure as Tarrant County Republican Party chair, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for his resignation after French reportedly published an online poll asking whether Jews or Muslims represented a greater threat to the country. Patrick rejected the remarks on X, saying they did not represent his values or those of the Republican Party and condemning antisemitism and religious bigotry.

French declined to express regret when WFAA-TV in Dallas asked him in July about his controversial remarks targeting minority groups. He defended the comments, telling the station, “Truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth.”