Top Texas Republicans knew Bo French’s history of racist comments. They supported him anyway.

The post surfaced as reporting revealed that top Texas Republicans knew about French's history of racist comments well before they threw their support behind his campaign. That history didn't stop the backing from arriving anyway. Now some in the party are distancing themselves publicly, even as the initial support already helped shape the race.

The Railroad Commission oversees oil and gas regulation across the state, a job that touches everyone from operators out on the Permian Basin to families paying utility bills in Lubbock. Whoever wins the seat has real authority over an industry that shapes the economy here just as much as it does in Midland or Houston, which makes the candidates' identity and record more than an Austin-only story.

For Republican voters watching the party wrestle with how to handle a candidate like this, the fallout raises an uncomfortable question. Party leaders had the information about French's past comments and backed him regardless. Whether that support holds through the rest of the race depends on how loudly the criticism keeps growing.

A photo of college kids celebrating a football win turned into a statewide political headache. Nobody saw that coming.