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Bo French

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bo French
Chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party
In office
October 23, 2023 – November 12, 2025
Preceded byRick Barnes
Succeeded byTim Davis
Personal details
BornRichard West French
1968 or 1969 (age 56–57)
Fort Worth, Texas
PartyRepublican
SpouseSheridan (divorced)
EducationTexas Christian University (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

Richard West French[1] (born 1968/1969)[2] is an American far-right[3][4] politician and investor. He is the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner in the 2026 election. French is the former chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party. French has made numerous anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant comments, calling for Islam to be banned and for the deportation of 100 million people from the United States.

Early life and career

[edit]

French was born in Fort Worth and was raised in Midland, Texas. French's family runs the Midland-based French Oil Company.[5] He attended Texas Christian University.[6] After graduating, French reportedly worked on his father's ranch before spending eight years at private equity firm Carlson Capital, then co-founded and served as chief operating officer of Verity Capital Partners and Trugent Capital.[5]

Craft International

[edit]

French was a business partner of Chris Kyle, the author of American Sniper, running law enforcement training company Craft International. Following Kyle's death in 2013, French and a business partner were sued by his widow Taya Kyle for allegedly forcing her out of the company. Although French and the partner denied the charge and the suit was later dropped, the parties reached a settlement agreement in November 2014 which stipulated French not use "Chris Kyle’s name, likeness, logo or image."[7]

Political career

[edit]

Texas House of Representatives campaigns

[edit]

French unsuccessfully ran for the 99th district of the Texas House of Representatives in 2016 and 2018, losing in the Republican primary against incumbent Charlie Geren twice.[8] In February 2016, lawyers for Taya Kyle sent French a cease and desist demanding that he stop using her late husband's name and image in campaign materials in violation of a November 2014 settlement agreement.[7]

In March 2016, French created a Facebook page named "Thief Bill Waybourn" which criticized Tarrant County sheriff candidate Bill Waybourn, whom Taya Kyle also served as campaign treasurer for. The page was criticized by the Tarrant County Law Enforcement Association, Arlington Police Association and Dallas Police Association in a December 2017 joint statement which called on the Texas Ranger Division to investigate the page for digital impersonation of a peace officer, a class A misdemeanor or felony.[9]

In December 2017, French and his then-wife, Sheridan, filed a lawsuit against Geren campaign operatives alleging that they had filed a falsified Child Protective Services report making false accusations of child abuse against the couple on the eve of the 2016 primary election.[10] Geren campaign operative David Sorensen confessed and apologized for making the false report in November 2018.[11]

Tarrant County Republican Party

[edit]

French was elected chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party in October 2023 and sworn in on October 23, 2023.[12] After being elected chair, French frequently posted on social media about his goal of making Tarrant County "inhospitable to Democrats." In June 2025, French posted a poll on his X account, asking "Who is a bigger threat to America?" The two options in the polls were "Jews" and "Muslims". Lieutenant Governor of Texas Dan Patrick criticized the poll as promoting antisemitism and religious bigotry, and called for French's resignation. French apologized for the post, but said he would not resign, saying he was not antisemitic, citing his support for Israel as evidence.[13] French frequently posted Islamophobic comments as Tarrant County GOP chair. French accused state representative Salman Bhojani, the first Muslim in the Texas state legislature, of "furthering jihad" and called for his denaturalization and deportation.[14] French also claimed that a Fort Worth imam was "deeply involved in pro-terrorist activity."[13] In October 2025, French called for the deportation of a group of Native Americans protesting at Mount Rushmore, referring to them as "third world savages".[15] Later that month, he made a tweet referring to November 1 — when federal SNAP benefits were set to lapse due to a government shutdown — as "National Chimp Out Day", using a racial slur for black people; he doubled down after backlash by denying the post was racist, and claiming his critics were the actual racists for "see[ing] racism where there clearly isn't".[16] French has stated that the white nationalist Great replacement theory is real. [17] French has frequently used homophobic slurs on social media, in addition to referring to political opponents as "retarded." French invited far-right activist Jack Posobiec, who has praised fascist dictators, to speak before the Tarrant GOP.[2] French resigned as chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party in November 2025 and was succeeded by attorney Tim Davis, who represented Keller ISD in its attempt to split the district in two in 2025.[18]

Texas Railroad Commissioner campaign

[edit]

French resigned as chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party in November 2025 in order to run for Texas Railroad Commissioner, challenging incumbent Jim Wright in the Republican primary. French said his goals as Texas Railroad Commissioner would be to "defend Texas, stop the Islamic invasion, and defeat the left."[19] In March 2026, French spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapeland, Texas, at a panel warning of the implementation of sharia, or Islamic law, in Texas. At the panel, French said "The problem is, we call it Sharia [law], but the problem is actually Islam," French said. "If they can infiltrate Texas and conquer Texas, then what's going to happen? They're going to be able to control the United States." French further said the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 allowed immigration from "lots of places in the world whose culture and values do not align with America." He called for the deportation of 100 million people from the United States, just under a third of the nation's population. French additionally called for the deportation of all Muslims from the United States.[20][21] French further called for banning Islam. KUT News noted that French "has spoken more about Islam and diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives on the campaign trail than the energy industry." Oil and gas regulation is the primary responsibility of the Texas Railroad Commission.[3] French said he would direct the Texas Railroad Commission to curb Islamic and Chinese influence in Texas oil fields; and support Israel and the nuclear family. Jim Wright criticized French's priorities as irrelevant, saying that the Texas Railroad Commission "has nothing to do" with Islam, DEI, or the Chinese Communist Party.[22]

In the March 2026 Republican primary, French received 31.75% of the vote, slightly less than Wright's 32.1% of the vote. With neither candidate winning a majority, the vote proceeded to a runoff.[23] French's campaign was supported by hardline conservative billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, who spent a million on the campaign through their political action committee. French referred to Wright as "Jihadi Jim", accusing him of allowing sharia law in Texas.[24] French narrowly defeated Wright in the runoff, becoming the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner.[25] French was subsequently endorsed by Governor of Texas Greg Abbott, despite Abbott previously warning that French would "wreck" oil production and that French "doesn't know anything about oil and gas."[26][27]

Following his primary victory, French posted a meme depicting his Democratic opponent in the general election, Jon Rosenthal inside the chamber where the Romanov family was executed. French further accused Rosenthal, who is Jewish, of "mocking Christianity, the Virgin Birth, and Christian Communion, while voting against religious liberty and for the spread of Islam.” French appeared to be referencing the antisemitic Judeo-Bolshevik conspiracy theory. French further called for the United States to become like the white supremacist state of Rhodesia and called for the deportation of Chinese individuals, writing that it was “time to go round up all the Chinese and send them packing!”[28]

Personal life

[edit]

French was previously married to fashion designer Sheridan French.[29]

Electoral history

[edit]

2026

[edit]
2026 Texas Railroad Commissioner Republican primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jim Wright (incumbent) 620,959 32.1
Republican Bo French 614,178 31.7
Republican James Matlock 373,047 19.3
Republican Katherine Culbert 178,175 9.2
Republican Hawk Dunlap 148,303 7.7
Total votes 1,934,672 100.0
2026 Texas Railroad Commissioner Republican primary runoff
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bo French 664,425 50.6
Republican Jim Wright (incumbent) 649,811 49.4
Total votes 1,314,236 100.0

2018

[edit]
2018 Texas House of Representatives, 99th district Republican primary[30]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Charlie Geren (incumbent) 7,935 56.82
Republican Bo French 6,030 43.18
Total votes 13,965 100.0

2016

[edit]
2016 Texas House of Representatives, 99th district Republican primary[31]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Charlie Geren (incumbent) 13,312 58.23
Republican Bo French 9,551 41.77
Total votes 22,863 100.0

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ McDonald, Tony. "CONTESTEE BO FRENCH'S ORIGINAL ANSWER AND PLEAS TO THE JURISDICTION" (PDF). Texas Scorecard. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  2. 1 2 Downen, Robert (October 31, 2024). "Colleagues condemn Tarrant County GOP leader for repeated use of slurs". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
  3. 1 2 Gainey, Blaise (May 20, 2026). "Bo French talks more about DEI than oil and gas. But he could soon regulate the industry in Texas". KUT News. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  4. ↑ Lee, Mike (May 26, 2026). "Texas oil companies push to fend off far-right bid for regulatory post". Politico. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  5. 1 2 Aronoff, Kate (June 2, 2026). "Meet the Far-Right Nepo Baby Vying to Deregulate Texas's Fossil Fuels". The New Republic. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  6. ↑ Lee, Mike (March 12, 2026). "How a culture warrior forced a runoff in the race for Texas oil regulator". Politico. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  7. 1 2 Lovegrove, Jamie (February 24, 2016). "Chris Kyle Widow Demands Bo French Stop Using Him in Campaign". Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  8. ↑ Connelly, Christopher (February 18, 2016). "Outsider Takes On House Veteran In Tarrant County Primary Race". Texas Standard. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  9. ↑ Platoff, Emma (December 15, 2017). "A Texas House candidate mocked a sheriff on social media. Did he violate the law?". Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  10. ↑ Tinsley, Anna M. (December 15, 2017). "Fake Facebook page and dirty politics alleged in contentious House race". WFAA. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  11. ↑ McDonald, Tom (November 30, 2018). "Former Geren Operative Confesses in CPS Scandal". Texas Scorecard. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  12. ↑ Roberts, Kim (October 25, 2023). "Tarrant County GOP Elects Bo French as New Party Chairman". The Texan. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  13. 1 2 Lenzen, Cecilia (June 28, 2025). "Republican leaders condemn Tarrant GOP chair's 'bigotry' against Jewish, Muslim people". Kera News. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  14. ↑ Rivera, Penelope (June 28, 2025). "Republican leaders condemn Tarrant GOP chair's 'bigotry' against Jewish, Muslim people". Kera News. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  15. ↑ Rascouët-Paz, Anna (February 19, 2026). "Texas GOP candidate Bo French called for deporting several Native Americans". Snopes. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  16. ↑ "'You are the racists': Tarrant GOP chair when asked about his 'chimp out' post". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on 2025-11-01. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
  17. ↑ Bernd, Candice (May 18, 2026). "Bo French's Blood-and-Oil Bid for Railroad Commissioner". The Texas Observer. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  18. ↑ Lenzen, Cecilia (November 22, 2025). "Attorney at center of Keller ISD split tapped to lead Tarrant County GOP as chair". Fort Worth Report. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  19. ↑ Rivera, Penelope (August 13, 2025). "Tarrant County GOP leader posts anti-Muslim remarks about Texas House member". Kera News. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  20. ↑ Guo, Kayla (March 27, 2026). "At CPAC, Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Bo French calls for deportation of 100 million people". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  21. ↑ Royster, Rachel (March 27, 2026). "Bo French, Patriot Mobile executive say Muslims want to overthrow Texas". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  22. ↑ Nogueras Ramos, Carlos (February 12, 2026). "In a contest to regulate Texas's oil and gas industry, one Republican wants to talk DEI and China". Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  23. ↑ Dyer, Meredith (May 21, 2026). "Incumbent Jim Wright, Bo French Face Off in Heated Texas Railroad Commissioner Runoff". The Texan.
  24. ↑ Nogueras Ramos, Carlos (March 31, 2026). "Hardline conservative donors Tim Dunn, Farris Wilks ballooned Bo French's Railroad Commission campaign". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  25. ↑ Vakil, Caroline (May 27, 2026). "Paxton-backed French ousts incumbent in Texas Railroad Commission GOP runoff". The Hill. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  26. ↑ Buchele, Mos (June 4, 2026). "GOP leaders shunned Bo French for racist posts. Now they want him to regulate Texas' oil and gas". KUT News. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  27. ↑ Yu, Isaac (May 29, 2026). "Greg Abbott and other Republicans back Bo French after warning he'd 'wreck' Texas oil and gas". Austin-American Statesman. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  28. ↑ Downen, Robert (July 24, 2026). "This Texas Nominee Keeps Peddling Fascist Conspiracy Theories. State GOP Leaders Are Silent". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  29. ↑ Reese, Ashley (May 7, 2020). "The Pastel Hell of One of Kimberly Guilfoyle's Favorite Designers". Jezebel. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  30. ↑ "2018 Republican primary results". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  31. ↑ "2016 Republican primary results". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
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