On September 14, 2026, Texas Railroad Commission candidate Bo French faced a significant decrease in his election odds on major U.S. betting markets. This shift occurred following backlash over a social media post French shared, which was condemned as racist by several Republican lawmakers.

French, identifying as a “MAGA conservative” on his campaign website, shared a controversial photo on his X account. The image depicted students of Asian descent celebrating the University of Texas’ football victory over Ohio State on Saturday. French’s caption read, “I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.” The post, viewed 27 million times, drew sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers.

Senator John Cornyn took to X to express his disapproval, questioning whether other Republican officials would condemn such intolerance. He stated, “Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized.”

Governor Greg Abbott responded through a statement provided to Politico, emphasizing unity. “That is not my message,” Abbott noted. “A selective picture of Longhorn fans celebrating our biggest home victory-ever-actually shows a way that Texans unite. We all support our college football teams.”

As of early Monday, Bo French’s chances of winning the election dropped by 10 percent on the prediction market Kalshi, falling from 72 percent on Sunday morning.

Newsweek has reached out to the French campaign, the University of Texas, and the White House for comment, though responses are pending.

This situation is evolving, and further updates will be provided as available.