Democrat Jon Rosenthal won a seat on the Texas railroad commission, a state regulatory agency, after beating two challengers, including Republican nominee Bo French, The Guardian reported. The outlet described the commission as a powerful state agency and identified Rosenthal as a state representative.
According to The Hill, Decision Desk HQ projected that French would lose the race to Rosenthal. The Hill reported that French had lost support from several prominent Republicans in Texas after he posted on social media about University of Texas at Austin students of South Asian descent.
CBS News reported that French drew attention after posting a photo of students of South Asian descent cheering at a football game. The caption on the post said the University of Texas has a "problem," according to the outlet, and CBS News headlined its report with the news that Rosenthal had won.
The reports differ on the status of the result. The Hill described a projection by Decision Desk HQ, while The Guardian and CBS News reported that Rosenthal had won the race.
The Guardian reported that Rosenthal's win came after national backlash to French's social media remarks targeting South Asian Americans. The outlet said French's campaign had ignited a firestorm over those remarks. The Hill and CBS News both described French's social media posts about students of South Asian descent at the University of Texas.
Sources: The Hill: Bo French loses TX Railroad Commissioner race; CBS News: Democrat Rosenthal wins ugly race for Texas railroad commissioner; The Guardian: Democrat Jon Rosenthal elected Texas railroad commissioner over controversial Republican Bo French.