Karl Rove, the longtime Republican strategist and former adviser to President George W. Bush, has publicly backed the Democratic candidate in a Texas election. He voted for the Democrat running against Bo French, the Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, a move that marks the second time Rove has cast his ballot for a Democrat.
Rove’s decision to back the opposite party is not the whole story. Days earlier, he called French a “bigot” for posting a picture of seemingly Asian American and Hispanic students celebrating in the stands of the University of Texas at Austin’s football stadium during Saturday night’s victory against Ohio State.
Rove’s Vote Against French
The vote itself is straightforward. Rove supported the Democrat running against French in the Texas Railroad Commission race. That commission oversees railroads, pipelines, and oil and gas regulation in the state.
What is unusual is the context. Rove is a prominent conservative figure, and his public support for a Democrat in a Republican primary is notable. It is also not the first time he has done this.
The Post That Drew the Criticism
French posted a picture of students celebrating in the stands of the University of Texas at Austin’s football stadium after Saturday night’s victory against Ohio State. The crowd included Asian American and Hispanic students.
Rove saw the image and called French a bigot for posting it. The accusation is serious, and it comes from a man with significant influence in Republican circles. No charges were filed as a result of the remark.
What French Said in His Defense
French said he had “heard UT graduation this year looked like this,” and that “the problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”
His statement suggests he sees the demographic change as a fact of life, not a personal slight. He did not elaborate further on whether he stood by the post.
The exchange shows two very different ways of talking about the same picture. One reads it as a celebration of diversity. The other reads it as a warning about change.
Rove’s History With Democrats
Rove has voted for a Democrat before. This is the second time he has done so.
The Stables Need Cleaning
Rove’s framing of the situation is blunt. He called the GOP’s stables “in need of a cleaning.” The phrase suggests a party that needs to remove bad actors, but it also raises questions about who gets to decide who is bad.
The cleanup metaphor is a familiar one in politics. It implies a group is out of control and needs intervention. Rove is positioning himself as the person who can clean it up.
Whether the cleanup helps the party or hurts it is not clear.
The Primary Is Ahead
The primary is still ahead, and the post that started it all remains on display. French defended it. Rove criticized it. The voters will decide whose side they are on.
That is the part worth watching.
| Party | Candidate | Position on the Post |
|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bo French | Posted the picture |
| Democrat | Running against French | None stated |
| Rove | Backing the Democrat | Called French a bigot |
The exchange between Rove and French has become the defining moment of a primary race that might otherwise have passed without notice. French defended the post by describing what he had heard about graduation at UT, while Rove’s criticism drew attention to the image itself.
The story is not over. The primary is still ahead, and the post that started it all remains on display. French defended it. Rove criticized it. The voters will decide whose side they are on.
That is the part worth watching.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs neither side’s horse-race framing and instead backs judging candidates issue by issue against its north star of individual freedom, small business, and avoiding concentrations of power, while saying plainly where each candidate falls short. The story presents a dispute between two men, one calling the other a bigot for a picture of students celebrating, and the other defending the post as a fact of life — and the paper does not take sides on which reading is correct.
The paper’s position asks readers to judge candidates based on their record on individual freedom, small business, and avoiding concentrations of power, rather than party loyalty or personal attacks. In this case, the dispute is about a single post, a single accusation, and a single defense — none of which speak directly to any of those standards. The paper does not treat politics as a horse race between two machines that both gather power, and it does not pretend that a personal attack carries the weight of a political platform.
Readers should watch for candidates who stay focused on the issues that matter — freedom, small business, and avoiding concentrations of power — rather than spending their campaigns trading insults over a single social media post. The primary is ahead, and the post that started it all remains on display. French defended it. Rove criticized it. The voters will decide whose side they are on.
See the a run of 14 images at Washingtonexaminer.
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