Karl Rove said he’ll break 30 years of only supporting Republicans to vote against bigot Bo French, tell me about this news in (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/karl-rove-said-he-ll-break-30-years-of-only-supporting-republicans-to-vote-against-bigot-bo-french/ar-AA2cdc3O?ocid=BingNewsVerp)

According to reporting originally published by The Texas Tribune (and syndicated on MSN), longtime Republican strategist and former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove announced he will break a 30-year streak of voting exclusively Republican to support Democratic candidate Jon Rosenthal over Republican nominee Bo French in the race for the Texas Railroad Commission (which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry).Here are the key details of the story:

• The Incident That Prompted It: Bo French posted an image on social media showing South Asian students cheering during a University of Texas football game against Ohio State. Without knowing their background or citizenship status, French labeled them “foreigners” who had displaced Americans, writing: “I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”
• Bipartisan Backlash: The post drew widespread criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. While many urged French to delete it, French doubled down and claimed Republicans criticizing him were “less conservative.”
• Rove’s Reaction: During a private, members-only lunch at the Headliners Club in Austin, Rove explicitly referred to French as a “bigot.” Rove, who also teaches graduate students at UT Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, spoke about one of his own students of South Asian descent, praising him as one of the hardest-working students he had taught and describing him as a Texan at heart. Rove also commended other Texas Republicans who spoke out against French’s post.
• Breaking a 30-Year Precedent: Rove stated that the last time he voted for a Democrat was in 1994, when he cast a ballot for Texas Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock. Voting for Rosenthal in this race marks his first time crossing party lines in over three decades.
• Background on the Campaign: French has focused heavily on polarizing cultural and national issues throughout his campaignsuch as immigration and LGBTQ+ matterseven though the Railroad Commission’s mandate is strictly energy regulation. His controversial commentary has previously caused friction within his own party; in 2025, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called on French to resign as Tarrant County GOP chair following a controversial social media poll about religious groups.