Republican nominee for Texas railroad commissioner Bo French sees young male voters as the key to his success as he campaigns for the top regulatory officer for the state’s lucrative oil and gas industry.
French has made numerous social media posts addressing young men — one of the least likely demographics to vote and a group that swung hard toward President Donald Trump in 2024 — as early voting opened on Monday in the Lone Star State.
“Young men of Texas: today is the first day of early voting and the ball is in your court,” French wrote on X. “I’m fighting to restore the promise of prosperity stripped from you by the venomous anti-youth uniparty coalition. Let’s take the country back. Vote early, and take every Patriot you know to the polls with you.”
An otherwise sleepy position, especially with high-profile gubernatorial and Senate races in Texas, French rose to notoriety following a controversial social media post in which he criticized an image of a diverse group of University of Texas students celebrating their football team.
“I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined,” said French.
French has faced bipartisan condemnation over the social media post, which he has not taken down, but is courting the very voters in the image. This weekend, he attended an event with the Young Republicans of Texas alongside conservative media personality Steve Bannon and Republican Attorney General nominee Mayes Middleton.
“Young Texans are going to decide this election,” he wrote on X ahead of the event.
French has seen a dip in the polls in his matchup against Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal since the remark, which has divided some Texas Republicans.
According to a Texas Public Opinion Research poll, French led Rosenthal, 45% to 44%, with 7% of voters undecided and 2% for the libertarian candidate. Other polls show French with a slightly larger lead.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who lost his primary to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, said he would not support French after his inflammatory remark.
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“No,” Cornyn said when the Washington Examiner asked if he would vote for French. “He’s an embarrassment to the Republican Party, and he’s going to drag the whole ticket down because of his racist comments.”
Trump carried young men aged 18-29 narrowly, according to 2024 exit polling, but it represented major gains for the Republican Party from previous elections.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
