The chair of the University of Texas System Board of Regents defended its diverse student body on Monday in an apparent response to a statewide Republican candidate’s racist X posts over the weekend targeting Asian students at a football game.
Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas railroad commissioner, received swift backlash when he commented negatively on a picture of students of South Asian descent celebrating the university’s upset win over Ohio State on Saturday.
Kevin P. Eltife, the Board of Regents chair, did not directly reference French’s posts in his brief statement, instead saying that he took pride in celebrating its students.
“When I stood on the sidelines at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium Saturday night and looked up at the seats filled with incredible fans, I saw Longhorns,” Eltife, a former Republican state senator, said. “I’m proud to celebrate all our Longhorn students today and every day.”
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French suggested in his post that the students, whom he deemed “foreigners,” benefitted from discriminatory admissions practices designed to exclude American-born students. A few of the students in the picture told The Dallas Morning News that they are American citizens and longtime residents of Texas.
Jim Davis, the president of the University of Texas at Austin, shared Eltife’s post on Monday, adding, “Our students are exceptional. All of them are Longhorns.”
French has continued to defend his post, which later garnered a community note on X that said Texas state law mandates at least 90% of the university’s first-year students be Texas residents, and that international students comprise about 4% of the school’s student body.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) condemned the posts on X, questioning if other Republican leaders would be willing to speak out and “condemn the intolerance and racism.”
“This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad,” Cornyn wrote on Sunday.
French is running against Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal for Texas railroad commissioner, which serves as the main regulatory body for the state’s massive oil and natural gas industry. Rosenthal told The Texas Tribune that his campaign received $35,000 in contributions following French’s posts.
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