Karl Rove, former adviser to President George W. Bush and longtime Texas GOP political consultant, said he is planning to vote for Democrat Jon Rosenthal, who is running for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state's oil and gas production. 

The statements come after Republican candidate Bo French published comments on X that critics called racist. The post showed a photo of students celebrating the University of Texas football game on Sunday, many of which appear non-White. 

"I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined," French said. 

At a members-only lunch event at the Headliners Club in Austin, Rove called French a "bigot," The Texas Tribune reported, citing unnamed sources. Rove said the last time he voted for a Democrat was Texas Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, who was up for reelection in 1994.