Bo French Urges Texas to Defy 6-3 Birthright Citizenship Ruling

2 articles · Updated · The Texas Tribune · Jun 30

Bo French, the GOP nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, called the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision upholding birthright citizenship “traitorous” and said Texas should refuse to recognize children born to undocumented parents as citizens.
The outburst followed the court’s rejection of Donald Trump’s bid to end the 170-year-old constitutional guarantee, though the Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas and has no authority over immigration status.
French has made immigration, LGBTQ+ issues and Islamophobic rhetoric central to his campaign since launching it last November, saying those themes helped him narrowly unseat incumbent Jim Wright in the Republican runoff.
Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick had previously denounced French during the primary, but both shifted to backing him after his win; Democrat Jon Rosenthal said voters still have no idea what French would do on commission matters.
The race highlights a broader fight over whether a powerful but low-profile oil and gas regulator will be decided on culture-war messaging rather than issues such as waste-pit rules and public-health oversight.