Texas' stunning 24-23 comeback win over top-ranked Ohio State has triggered a political firestorm among Texas Republicans, after a candidate for statewide office posted a photo of celebrating fans that critics called racist.
Arch Manning led the Longhorns to the victory in front of more than 105,000 fans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. After the game, the team posted clips of the celebrations inside the stadium.
Bo French, the Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner, then posted a screenshot showing a small group of fans of color from the crowd. "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 wrote.
The Texas Railroad Commission regulates the state's oil, gas and pipeline industries, and French is running for one of its three elected seats.
Republicans hit back at French
The post drew a swift backlash from Democrats and from senior figures in French's own party, including Governor Greg Abbott. Abbott told Politico: "That is not my message. A selective picture of Longhorn fans celebrating our biggest home victory, ever, actually shows a way that Texans unite. We all support our college football teams."
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, also a Republican, urged French to delete the post. "You can oppose immigration policy without demeaning people because of their race or ethnicity, this post has crossed the line," he said.
Republican State Representative Lacey Hull said French's comments "break my heart," adding: "I see college kids cheering on their football team. I see Texans."
Senator John Cornyn called on fellow Republicans to speak out. "This is the Republican nominee for statewide office," he wrote on X. "Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized. This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad."
Democrats join the criticism
James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, echoed Cornyn's comments. "Thank you @JohnCornyn for your leadership," he wrote. "Racism has no place in Texas."
Talarico then challenged his Republican rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, to say whether he would "condemn this blatant racism" or "cower to extremists."
Paxton responded by turning the accusation back on Talarico, saying "only one person in this race has a history of dividing Texans by race, and it's James Talarico."
Actor Matthew McConaughey, an Austin resident and prominent Longhorns supporter, was also pictured celebrating the win.
Paxton said he condemned "racism in all its forms, including James Talarico saying white men are America's top terror threat and that he prays to overcome his own 'whiteness,' whatever that means." He added that he would "continue to focus on uniting our State and bringing together the broadest possible coalition to fight for Texas, our values, and our families."
French stands by his comments
On Monday, French doubled down, telling conservative radio host Mark Davis: "I don't have anything against the people specifically in that picture. I think that the bigger conversation is, are we going to have policies to prioritize Americans, or are we going to have policies that prioritize foreigners? And I think most people in the America First movement think we ought to be prioritizing Americans."
According to statistics from September 2025, less than 10 percent of all students at the University of Texas are international.
