Sethi Challenges Paxton Over Bo French Post
The Texas House candidate says Paxton should explicitly condemn Republican nominee Bo French's remarks about Indian Americans.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Commentary
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Should politicians condemn racist remarks made by members of their own party?
Pooja Sethi, a Democratic candidate for Texas House District 47 in Austin, publicly challenged Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton to condemn Bo French's attacks on Indian Americans. French's September 13 X post, featuring a photograph of University of Texas students of South Asian origin, drew more than 54 million views.
Why it matters
The exchange spotlights how campaign rhetoric about ethnic communities is being debated in the final days before Texas's November 4 election. Paxton's general condemnation of racism, which did not name French, has left the question of a direct rebuke unresolved for voters weighing candidates' positions.
The controversy centers on a post that accumulated more than 54 million views according to X data. The extraction does not report a comparator for that figure or any independent measure of its reach among Texas voters.
The players
Pooja Sethi
Sethi is an Indian-American attorney and Democratic candidate for Texas House District 47 in Austin, who previously chaired the Travis County Democratic Party and would be the first South Asian woman in the Texas Legislature if elected.
Ken Paxton
Paxton is the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas and a former state attorney general who has faced repeated questions about his public statements on race and ethnicity during the campaign.
Bo French
French is the Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission whose September 13 X post about University of Texas students drew sharp criticism from Indian American leaders and Democratic candidates.
The details
On September 13, French posted a photograph of University of Texas students, many of South Asian origin, captioned 'I heard UT graduation this year looked like this.' The same day, Paxton posted on X condemning racism without naming French, and on Monday Sethi challenged Paxton on X to condemn French's attacks, sharing her remarks by quoting a post from user Vasant Bhatt.
Timeline
September 13, 2025: Bo French posts the UT students photograph; Paxton condemns racism on X.
October 31, 2025: Vasant Bhatt reports that Paxton visited the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Irving.
Monday before the election: Sethi challenges Paxton to condemn Bo French on X.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025: Texas polling stations open for voting.
Political Context
Democrats argue that Paxton's general condemnation of racism does not go far enough without a direct response to French's post. The opposition frames the issue as a test of whether Republican leaders will hold their own nominees accountable for remarks about Indian Americans.
Texas voters weighing the Senate and House races will see whether Paxton and other nominees directly address remarks about Indian American residents before casting ballots. Residents of Travis County and Austin who are following District 47 will have Sethi's and the opposition's accounts to compare on this issue.
The takeaway
Voters evaluating candidates on this issue can compare whether each nominee names specific remarks or offers only general statements about racism. Looking at the exact wording of public responses is a practical way to assess where candidates stand.
What happens next
Texas voters go to the polls on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, the date on which the Senate and House contests in this dispute will be decided.
Further reading
For more perspective on the campaign debate, explore Commentary coverage of Texas politics.
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Should politicians condemn racist remarks made by members of their own party?
