Tarrant County's Republican Party Chairman Bo French resigned from his post and announced his bid for Texas Railroad Commissioner Wednesday.
French, known for his controversial social media posts, announced his resignation on X and said his intent to run for the railroad commissions is the best way he can, "defend Texas, stop the Islamic invasion, and defeat the left."
"Texas oil and gas made America great and literally fueled the fight for freedom across the world," French wrote. "With Iran and radical Islamists attacking our allies in the Middle East, the Chinese Communist Party pushing its agenda worldwide, and the radical Green New Scam artists waging war on domestic energy production, our state needs a strong leader who will fight back."
French has been serving as the county's GOP Chairman since 2023. He was roundly criticized by other Republican leaders for a post made in June, in which he asked his followers, “Who is a bigger threat to America?” Respondents had two options: “Jews” or “Muslims.”
Tarrant County Mayor Mattie Parker and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for his resignation following the post, calling it bigoted. French later apologized for the post.
Just two months later, French targeted Texas Rep. Salman Bhojani with anti-Muslim remarks, calling the lawmaker "an anti-American democrat" and calling for federal officials to denaturalize and deport him. Bhojani was both the first Muslim and the first South Asian elected to the Texas Legislature.
More recently, French posted a series of tweets in reference to SNAP benefits being cut Nov. 1 where he used what is widely considered to be a derogatory term against Black people in multiple posts.
Despite its name, the Texas Railroad Commission doesn't have anything to do with railroads. It is made up of three members overseeing the state oil and gas industry. Commissioners are elected to six-year, staggered terms so one commissioner position is on the ballot every two years. The chairman is chosen by the commissioners.
French will face current Chairman Jim Wright, who's been serving since 2021.
"The Texas oil and gas industry needs a strong defender who will never back down to leftist pressure," French's statement read. "As your next Railroad Commissioner, I will fight to end DEI, radical climate change ideology, and foreign capture of our oil and gas industries. I am the battle tested conservative in this race, and I will always fight to put America first."
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Penelope Rivera is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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