Texas Republican pays price for anti-Indian politics

In the aftermath of the recent Texas election, the political career of Republican official Bo French came to an end after making inflammatory remarks about Indian-Americans and other brown individuals. French lost the race to head the Texas Railroad Commission to Democrat Jon Rosenthal by more than 600,000 votes.

This defeat serves as a stark warning to the Republican Party about the growing unease within its ranks regarding the treatment of Indian-Americans. Despite years of courting this demographic, with notable support from figures such as Senator John Cornyn and Governor Greg Abbott, the party now faces questions about the inclusion of Indians in Texas.

French's comments, made on September 13th, sparked outrage after he posted a photograph of predominantly brown students celebrating at a University of Texas football game, suggesting they were evidence of an immigration crisis. This sentiment was quickly condemned by prominent Republicans and the party's leadership in Washington, DC, who were accused of promoting racism and xenophobia.

The Republican Party had previously made significant efforts to garner support from Indian-Americans, with Abbott hosting the Howdy Modi rally in Houston in 2019 and Abbott and Trump addressing thousands of cheering Indian-Americans. However, the party seems to have crossed a line, leaving voters unsettled and energizing Democrats.

The controversies surrounding French's remarks, coupled with growing hostility towards Indians in North Texas, particularly in suburbs with substantial Indian-American populations, have led to a realignment of voting patterns. The Republican Party faces a loss not only of French but also of other prominent figures such as Abbott, Paxton, and Dawn Buckingham, all of whom lost their races.