Karl Rove to Vote for Pro-Trans Dem After GOP Candidate Shares Texas Student Section Pic
Karl Rove looked at a picture of kids in burnt orange and decided the Republican was the emergency.
The former Bush strategist told a private Austin lunch he will vote for Democrat Jon Rosenthal for Texas railroad commissioner, The Texas Tribune reported, citing three attendees.
He called Republican nominee Bo French a “bigot.” He said the last Democrat he backed was Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock in 1994.
The fuse was French’s post after Texas beat Ohio State. He shared a student section shot and wrote that UT graduation “looked like this” and that “the problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”
I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined. https://t.co/Ys1bql0y4U
— Bo French (@bofrench) September 13, 2026
He later said social media was showing Americans “displaced by foreigners.”
That is the same fight The Western Journal covered when Cornyn, Crenshaw, and other Republicans denounced French while Ken Paxton used the pile-on against James Talarico.
Rove taught the next lesson: If you notice the stands, the consultant class will leave the ticket.
Rosenthal is not a mystery. French had already posted images of the Houston Democrat on the House floor in a “Protect Trans Kids” mask. Rosenthal also celebrates “Pride Month.”
The Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas. Rosenthal wants that job while supporting the other coalition’s transgender activism.
Rove still chose him.
He praised a South Asian student in his UT class and the Republicans who scolded French. Fine. A camera pan is not a visa stamp. UT says most students are Texans and international enrollment is under 10 percent.
None of that required a Democrat who treats “Protect Trans Kids” as a campaign accessory.
The consultant theory of the party is that manners beat borders. Say the quiet part about campus demographics, and you are a leper. Vote for the engineer in the slogan mask, and you are a statesman.
President Trump called Rove a “stone cold loser” after The Texas Tribune published their piece. That is theater. The substance is simpler.
French may be crude. But Rove revealed where his loyalties lie: 30 years of straight-ticket Republican votes ended because a statewide nominee pointed at a football crowd and said the country looks different.
If the price of staying in the club is pretending you did not see the picture, the club is not serious about the country.
Rosenthal will take the compliment. French will fundraise off it. Rove will tell donors he saved the brand.
The stands are still full. The argument is who is allowed to say so.
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