That is 0 articles you have read today.
The Aporia is free and carries no advertising, so readers are the only
thing paying for it. If you are getting this much out of it, a small
donation is what keeps it independent.
Daily limit reached
You have read 0 articles today.
That is more than the 15 a day The Aporia gives away,
and well past what it can carry on nothing. Your allowance resets at
midnight.
There is no advertising here and nothing about you is sold, so readers
are the only thing paying for it. If the site is worth this much of
your day, it is worth a few dollars.
Everything else stays open: the
maps, the
directory and
search do
not count against this, and neither does re-opening something you have
already read today.
Karl Rove, a GOP consultant and former Bush adviser, has publicly endorsed Jon Rosenthal, the Democrat running against Bo French for the Texas Railroad Commission. Rove’s decision comes after calling French a "bigot" due to controversial social media posts and comments deemed racially insensitive. In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, Rove argues that French's behavior represents a trend of bigotry within the Republican Party that needs addressing.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Karl Rove, a GOP consultant and former Bush adviser, voted for the Democrat running against Bo French, the Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission. This marks the second time in his life that Rove has voted for a Democrat; previously he supported Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock in 1994. Days earlier, Rove had called French a “bigot” for posting an image of Asian American and Hispanic students celebrating at University of Texas at Austin's football game against Ohio State University. French justified his post by saying he heard UT's graduation this year looked similar to the picture but did not intend any harm or negativity towards minority groups. Rove wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that individuals like French are damaging the Republican Party and called on voters to reject such candidates.
Written for “Republican Party Criticism” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.65, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 2 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 15109: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-17
GOP consultant and former Bush adviser Karl Rove explained his decision to vote for the Democrat running against Bo French, the Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, marking the second time he has voted for a Democrat.
asserted
he → explain → Democrat
Rove had called French a “bigot” days earlier for posting a picture of seemingly Asian American and Hispanic students celebrating in the stands of the University of Texas at Austin’s football stadium during Saturday night’s victory against Ohio State.
asserted
Rove → call → State
French said he had “heard UT graduation this year looked like this,” and that “the problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”
asserted
anyone → say → this
The Texas Republican had expressed that decision behind closed doors but made his message clear in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal.
asserted
message → express → Journal
In his piece, Rove said French represents a growing number of “bigoted advocates of ‘Heritage America.'”
asserted
French → say → America
“These people are diminishing the Republican Party, not building it,” Rove said.
asserted
Rove → diminish → it
“I’ll have no part of it.
asserted
I → have → it
This November, I’ll vote for only the second Democrat in my life.
asserted
I → vote → life
The first was Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock in 1994, because I thought he would work with Republicans.
asserted
he → think → Republicans
The GOP’s stables need a cleaning.
asserted
stables → need → cleaning
This is a good place to start.”
asserted
This → start → ?
Rove said French’s choosing to mark UT’s win with “raw, uncut bigotry” is just one example in which he has made racist remarks against Hispanics.
asserted
he → say → Hispanics
French has made controversial comments about women and non-Christians as well, according to Rove.
uncertain
French → make → Rove
The former Bush adviser said that while serving as Tarrant County Republican chairman, French posted a poll to X asking if “Jews” or “Muslims” were a bigger threat to America.
asserted
Jews → say → America
The post was met with fierce opposition from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who called for French to resign.
asserted
French → meet → Patrick
Rove recalled his move to Texas in the 1970s, saying, “The state was so blue that you could almost hold a GOP state convention in a phone booth.”
uncertain
you → recall → booth
“Republicans turned Texas red by fielding candidates who understood the strength of our state’s diverse population and welcomed voters who shared our conservative values,” Rove said.
asserted
Rove → turn → values
Following the fallout of French’s social media post, Rove spoke to colleagues at a closed-door meeting about French’s post, reported by the Texas Tribune.
asserted
Rove → follow → Tribune
President Donald Trump then took to Truth Social to scrutinize Rove, calling him a “Republican in name only.”
asserted
Trump → take → name
Rove had appeared on Fox News before Trump’s post and broke down the president’s plan to hand out $5,000 dividends to adult Americans if the GOP maintains its majority in Congress.
asserted
GOP → appear → Congress
He suffers from a major case of Trump Derangement Syndrome primarily because, for almost 10 years, I beat back and won against so many of the people and things that he wanted and espoused,” Trump said.
asserted
Trump → suffer → that
“Why does FoxNews and the WSJ keep his RINO Voice alive.
asserted
FoxNews → keep → Voice
The Aporia
