Bo French, a Republican candidate for the Texas Railroad Commission, faced widespread bipartisan backlash after posting racist attacks on University of Texas students following their football team’s comeback victory. In the posts, he labeled South Asian students as “foreigners” who had “displaced” Americans, drawing condemnation from top Texas officials including Gov. Greg Abbott and Senator John Cornyn.

The incident threatened to fracture party unity just weeks before midterm elections. While some Republicans called for his resignation or deletion of the posts, others remained silent, including Lt. Gov.

Dan Patrick. The controversy has energized Democrats, who see an opportunity to win statewide office in Texas for the first time in decades. Recent polls show French with a slim lead over Democrat Jon Rosenthal, but his rhetoric may hurt other Republican races.

Karl Rove reportedly said he would vote for a Democrat due to the posts, signaling deep concern within the party.