Prominent Texas Republicans have criticized Bo French, a Republican nominee for the state's Railroad Commission, after he described a group of Asian American students at a University of Texas football game as a "problem." French posted a photo on the social media platform X, showing students celebrating at the game, and wrote: "I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn't believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined." His comments sparked immediate backlash from fellow Republicans. Senator John Cornyn, a senior Republican figure, condemned the post as racist and urged other Republican officials to speak out against it. He emphasized that French, a nominee for a statewide office, should not be allowed to normalize intolerance or racism. Cornyn's criticism came as part of a broader push from several Republican lawmakers to distance themselves from French's remarks. Texas Governor Greg Abbott rejected French's message, stating that the photo instead showed Texans united in support of their college football team, which had just defeated a top-ranked opponent. Abbott defended Texas' strict immigration policies, saying that unity does not preclude having the toughest immigration laws in the country. He also mentioned the state's decision to freeze H1B visas at universities, which he argued was necessary for protecting Texas' interests. Several Republican members of the Texas House of Representatives joined the criticism. State Rep. Lacey Hull expressed disappointment, saying the post broke her heart and that she saw young Texans simply cheering for their team. State Rep. Jared Patterson called the post "racist" and said it demeaned students based on their race or ethnicity. House Speaker Dustin Burrows stated that opposing immigration policy should not justify demeaning people based on race or ethnicity, adding that French had "crossed the line." However, some Republicans supported French and criticized Cornyn for condemning him. Former Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi accused Cornyn and others of prioritizing government handouts and cheap labor over the future of Texas. State Rep. Andy Hopper called Cornyn a "smug globalist." Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running to replace Cornyn, did not directly address French's comments when asked for a response. French has a history of controversial statements, including earlier calls to fear Islam and advocate for the deportation of 100 million people. His representatives and those of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick did not immediately respond to requests for comment.