# Karl Rove says he'll vote for a Democrat

> A racist post about UT students pushed Bush's old strategist to back a Houston Democrat for Railroad Commission.
- Title: Karl Rove says he'll vote for a Democrat · The Texas Tribune
- Summary: A racist post about UT students pushed Bush's old strategist to back a Houston Democrat for Railroad Commission. When a party's own architect calls a nominee…
- Keywords: texas politics, karl rove, bo french, railroad commission, republicans, news, local, Karl, Rove, he'll, vote, Democrat
- Source: The Texas Tribune — https://feeds.texastribune.org/link/16799/17461996/bo-french-kal-rove-endorsement-jon-rosenthal
- Author: Carlos Nogueras Ramos
- Published: 2026-09-14T22:03:37+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: texas politics, karl rove, bo french, railroad commission, republicans, news, local
## Rove crosses the aisle
Karl Rove, George W. Bush's longtime adviser, says he will vote for Houston Democrat Jon Rosenthal for the Texas Railroad Commission instead of Republican Bo French.
## He called French a bigot
Rove said it at a members-only lunch at Austin's Headliners Club. Three attendees described the conversation to The Texas Tribune, which granted them anonymity.

> bigot
## Only once before
Rove says he has voted for exactly one Democrat in his life: Texas Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, who was on the ballot for reelection in 1994.
## The post that started it
French shared a photo on X of the UT student section celebrating a win over Ohio State and called the students "foreigners" who displaced Americans, with nothing to back it up.

> I didn't believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.
## Both parties turned on him
Democrats and Republicans alike tore into French over the post, and many of them told him to take it down.
## Trump defends the line
Late Monday on Truth Social, Trump called Rove "bad" for Republicans and often wrong, saying Rove resents a decade of losing to him. Neither Rove nor French could be reached.

> He suffers from a major case of Trump Derangement Syndrome
## Key takeaway

When a party's own architect calls a nominee a bigot and votes against him, the fight has moved inside the tent.