The University of Texas had a stunning comeback win against the number one school in the nation - hook ‘em horns.
Republican candidate for Railroad CommissionerBo French took to Xto make racist comments following the victory. He was lamenting the skin color and heritage of minority students that attend one of the greatest universities in Texas; Bo does not like brown folks.
Some Republicans have come out and made strongly worded posts condemning French. None of them called for him to drop out of the race, which if he wins he would take his bigoted perspective into office presiding over the very people that he marginalizes, demonizes.
Bo French’s racism is not a new thing though, he is just another in a long line of GOP radicals that have been running
our state into the ground. Back in May of 2022 our own Sen. Charles Perry joked that an adequate immigration policy for our district might be to shoot, shovel, and shut up. In a Senate committee meeting on rural Texas he grinned and chuckled as he said “I've got a phrase I want to say so bad”, he continued, “it kind of addresses the immigration issue up in my area of the woods I’m afraid, it's shoot, shovel and shut up”. Charles is supposedly a moderate.
Bo’s language and behavior is not new, and it's not shocking to any member of minority groups in Texas. This is just business as usual. This is the result of a culture of politicians who believe they are untouchable, unaccountable, and flat-out hostile toward anyone a shade or two darker than them.
This is one of the biggest reasons I decided to run for office. The sheer disregard for human suffering with which our officials behave is appalling and disgusting.
Charles suggested killing and covering up the deaths of Mexican migrants as a policy, while presiding over an official state committee meeting. Where was the public outcry? Sure he made a half-hearted apology three years later, after the clip got some attention, but that's not gonna cut it.
This type of rhetoric and behavior from elected leadership is a danger to our communities. They’ve proven to us time and time again they do not have our best interests whether it is joking about committing violence against migrants or suggesting that your constituents' concerns about Data centers are overblown, it is clear people are not the priority.
Candidates like French and elected officials like Perry need to be held accountable for their dangerous and violent rhetoric. It is shameful and Texans deserve better.
Riley Rodriquez is the Democratic candidate running for the Lubbock-and-Abilene-based Texas State Senate District 28 in the November election. He faces incumbent Republican State Sen. Charles Perry.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: SD 28 Democratic candidate: Bo French's racism not new in Texas
