How Texas Football Sparked a Republican Reckoning
Bo French called Longhorn fans a “problem.” The backlash reveals what exclusion could cost conservatives.
It took just a few minutes for a single photo to burn down the internet: a sea of UT Austin students in trademark burnt orange, some wearing cowboy hats, others making the “Hook ’em Horns” sign. They’re all grinning broadly because their school football team, the Texas Longhorns, had just achieved the near impossible: a 20-point comeback to defeat the No. 1 Ohio State, 24-23.
But that’s not what took over headlines. No, it was Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner. “The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined,” he posted on X alongside a Longhorns video of cheering fans.
The post racked up over 49 million views. The incident is the culmination of a feeling Indians and South Asian Americans more broadly can’t shake. No matter what they do, they aren’t American enough. But this time was different. Thousands of fellow Republicans rushed to the students’ defense.
“This is how great political parties self-destruct,” Republican Senator John Cornyn wrote on X. Might this be the wake-up call the alleged party of hardworking Americans needs? The Juggernaut spoke to UT students, Congress members, Republican officials, and more to find out.