Karl Rove, a prominent Republican consultant and former adviser to President George W Bush, has announced he will vote for a Democratic candidate in Texas. Rove stated his intention to back Houston Democrat Jon Rosenthal over Republican Bo French for a seat on the state's railroad commission, marking an end to his 32-year history of exclusively supporting Republicans.
Rove's decision comes after Bo French posted a photograph on X of non-Caucasian students celebrating a University of Texas football victory, with a caption implying concerns about the university's demographics. Rove, speaking at a private event in Austin on Sunday, reportedly called French "a bigot" over the post.
The social media post has also drawn criticism from other Republicans. Texas Senator John Cornyn condemned French's comments on X, stating, "The Republican Party is better than this." Governor Greg Abbott also distanced himself from the message, saying, "That is not my message." Republican state senator Lacey Hull urged French to remove the post, while the chair of the university's board of regents, Kevin Eltife, expressed pride in all students.
French, however, has remained unashamed, appearing on a radio show on Monday to label his Republican critics as "less conservative." He claimed that "less-conservative people in Texas are the ones attacking me."