The Aporia
The Aporia
Ede-Osifo, U. (2026, November 4). Democrat Jon Rosenthal elected Texas railroad commissioner over controversial Republican Bo French. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/04/jon-rosenthal-texas-railroad-commissioner
Ede-Osifo, Uwa. “Democrat Jon Rosenthal elected Texas railroad commissioner over controversial Republican Bo French.” The Guardian, 4 Nov. 2026, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/04/jon-rosenthal-texas-railroad-commissioner.
Ede-Osifo, Uwa. “Democrat Jon Rosenthal elected Texas railroad commissioner over controversial Republican Bo French.” The Guardian, November 4, 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/04/jon-rosenthal-texas-railroad-commissioner.
Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.
Jon Rosenthal, a Democrat and member of the Texas House of Representatives, won the race for Texas railroad commissioner on November 4, 2026, defeating Republican Bo French who faced widespread backlash over his racist comments. Rosenthal received 52.6% of the vote, while French garnered 45.4%. The Texas Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas production in the state, a role that Rosenthal will now assume as one of its three members for a six-year term.
French's campaign was marred by inflammatory rhetoric, including Islamophobic and antisemitic remarks on social media. He faced significant criticism from both within his party and nationally, with prominent Republicans like Senator John Cornyn condemning his actions. French had previously drawn attention in September 2026 when he posted controversial images of students at the University of Texas, suggesting they were evidence of foreign displacement.
Rosenthal campaigned on lowering energy costs for Texans and implementing stricter regulations for data centers and weatherization requirements in gas production. His victory marks a shift in the traditionally Republican-controlled commission, as Democrats have been largely absent from its ranks for decades.
Rosenthal has won a seat on the Texas railroad commission, a powerful state regulatory agency, beating out two challengers including the controversial Republican nominee Bo French whose campaign ignited a firestorm over his bigoted remarks.
French drew widespread national furor in September after targeting south Asian American students who were at a University of Texas football game. In posts on X, the former GOP chair for Tarrant county, an area encompassing Fort Worth, suggested their presence was evidence that foreigners were displacing Americans.
French drew rebuke after asking his X followers about whether Jews or Muslims posed a greater threat to America. He later backpedaled, in part, saying there was no place for antisemitism in the GOP and that the party respected the free exercise of religion.
French embraced rightwing culture war talking points, saying he would eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) measures and curb the influence of “radical Islam” and the Chinese Communist party in the state’s oil industry.
Rosenthal ran on lowering utility rates, ensuring clean water and air, and putting resource guardrails around the construction of new datacenters. He cited his 25 years as an oil and gas engineer as a reason why he would be fit for the seat.
