Bo French
Bo French (Republican Party) is running for election to the Texas Railroad Commission. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
French completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Bo French was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He earned a high school diploma from the New Mexico Military Institute and a bachelor's degree in history from Texas Christian University in 1993. French's career experience includes starting his own investment firm.[1] French has been affiliated with the Tarrant County Republican Party.[2]
Elections
2026
See also: Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Texas Railroad Commission
Jon Rosenthal (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Texas Railroad Commission on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Jon Rosenthal  | |
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Republican primary
Republican primary for Texas Railroad Commission
Incumbent James Wright (R), Katherine Culbert (R), Hawk Dunlap (R), Bo French (R), and James Matlock (R) are running in the Republican primary for Texas Railroad Commission on March 3, 2026.
| ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2018
French ran in one of 48 contested Texas state legislative Republican primaries in 2018. To read more about the conflict between Republican factions in the primaries, including who the factions were, which races were competitive and who key influencers lined up behind, click here.
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 99
Incumbent Charlie Geren defeated Michael Stackhouse in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 99 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Charlie Geren (R) | 64.3 | 38,048 |
 | Michael Stackhouse (D) | 35.7 | 21,111 | |
| Total votes: 59,159 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 99
Michael Stackhouse advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 99 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Stackhouse | 100.0 | 4,241 |
| Total votes: 4,241 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 99
Incumbent Charlie Geren defeated Bo French in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 99 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Charlie Geren | 56.8 | 7,909 |
 | Bo French | 43.2 | 6,014 | |
| Total votes: 13,923 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Overview of 2018 Republican primaries
The 2018 Texas state legislative Republican primaries featured conflict between two factions. One group was opposed to House Speaker Joe Straus (R) and his preferred policies on issues like education financing and property taxes. The anti-Straus wing included members of the Texas Freedom Caucus and organizations such as Empower Texans and Texas Right to Life. The other group was supportive of Straus and his policy priorities. The pro-Straus wing included incumbent legislators allied with Straus and organizations such as the Associated Republicans of Texas and the Texas Association of Business. To learn more about these factions and the conflict between them, visit our page on factional conflict among Texas Republicans.
The primaries occurred on March 6, 2018, with runoffs on May 22, 2018. There were 48 contested state legislative Republican primaries, outnumbering contested primaries in 2016 (43) and 2014 (44). To see our full coverage of the state legislative Republican primaries, including who key influencers were backing and what the primaries meant for the 2019 House speaker's race, visit our primary coverage page.
The charts below outline the March 6 primary races for the state Senate and the state House. They show how the factions performed on election night.
| Texas Senate Republicans | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before March 6 primaries | After March 6 primaries | |
| Pro-Straus | 2 | 1 | |
| Anti-Straus | 1 | 3 | |
| Unknown | 3 | 3 | |
| Open seats | 1 | - | |
| Runoffs | - | - | |
| Too close to call | - | - | |
| Total | 7 | 7 | |
| Texas House Republicans | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before March 6 primaries | After March 6 primaries | |
| Pro-Straus | 20 | 20 | |
| Anti-Straus | 4 | 9 | |
| Unknown | 2 | 5 | |
| Open seats | 15 | - | |
| Runoffs | - | 7 | |
| Too close to call | - | - | |
| Total | 41 | 41 | |
Primary we watched
This primary was one of 48 we tracked for the March 6 elections.
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
| Yes. |
What made this a race to watch?
| The Texas Observer identified this Republican primary as potentially competitive. The race featured a rematch of a 2016 primary between incumbent Charlie Geren, a Joe Straus ally, and Bo French. In 2016, Geren defeated French by a 16.5 percent margin.[3] As of January 31, 2018, only French had signed the form committing to vote for the Republican caucus' choice for speaker on the House floor. French said he might join the Texas Freedom Caucus if elected.[4] Support and endorsements for French
Endorsements for Geren |
Campaign finance
2016
Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.[8]
Incumbent Charlie Geren defeated Dan Hawkins in the Texas House of Representatives District 99 general election.[9]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 99 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Charlie Geren Incumbent |
82.79% | 45,201 | |
| Libertarian | Dan Hawkins | 17.21% | 9,393 | |
| Total Votes | 54,594 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Charlie Geren defeated Bo French in the Texas House of Representatives District 99 Republican Primary.[10][11]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 99 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Charlie Geren Incumbent |
58.23% | 13,312 | |
| Republican | Bo French | 41.77% | 9,551 | |
| Total Votes | 22,863 | |||
Primary
- Main article: Notable Texas primaries, 2016
Geren received the endorsements of the following state professional groups:[12][13][14]
- Texas Realtors Association
- Texas Municipal Police Officers Association
- Manufacturers PAC of Texas
French received the endorsements of the following state conservative groups:[15]
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
- Conservative Republicans of Texas
- Texas Right to Life
- Texas Home School Coalition
- National Association for Gun Rights
- Texas Values Action
The Fort Worth Star‑Telegram called the race between Geren and French "one of the most costly, controversial local races that pits moderate conservatives against movement conservatives." Describing himself as part of "the next generation of conservative leaders," French received the support of conservative groups and donors trying to oust representatives like Geren for being too moderate. Meanwhile, Geren received "strong support from the Fort Worth business community and the Austin lobby," according to Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University.[16]
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bo French completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by French's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
For the last two years, I served as Chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party, the largest red county in the nation, where I developed a reputation for strong America First leadership.
As your next Railroad Commissioner, I will revolutionize the permitting process to help the industry and Texas thrive, end rampant DEI spending in the Commission, and get radical Islamists out of Texas energy.- I will end rampant DEI spending at the Railroad Commission. Under my opponent's leadership at Chairman of the Railroad Commission, the RRC went from Rank #41 to Rank #9 by DEI spending among state agencies.
DEI is bad enough. But in Texas energy, we've seen that it's life or death. We can't bring woke criteria into Texas oil. I will put an end to this.
By awarding contracts through meritocracy, rather than DEI, we will spend money more efficiently and be able to plug more wells. - I will fight to stop the radical Islamist invasion of our state. Texans are worried about the takeover of radical Islam in our state. I have been a leading voice against the Islamic invasion and will fight as your next Railroad Commissioner to ensure Texas oil belongs to Texas and not foreign terrorists.
- Revolutionize the RRC permitting process and decentralize power to allow the industry to get to work. The RRC website is woefully outdated. Permit applications must be modernized and digitized. There's no need to fill out pages of documentation manually, print it, and physically mail it to Austin, hoping you did it right. I will fix it and also return power to RRC regional offices, who know the area best. This will not only benefit operators in our state but also the people of Texas. Increased activity means increased tax dollars to benefit you. Faster permitting also means energy is available when you need to heat your home.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
French's campaign website stated the following:
On The Issues
Reverse the Regulatory Stranglehold
Chairman French will put the Texas oil and gas industry first by prioritizing the operators who keep the Texas economy running. He believes that the Railroad Commission should cut regulations rather than centralize its power in Austin and cut the stranglehold on oil and gas operators so that Texans can thrive.
Stop the Islamic Invasion of Texas
Chairman French has been the leading voice in Texas, combating the Islamic invasion of our state. He has been attacked by many on both the left and the right. Even death threats from militant Islamists have not deterred him. He will continue to lead this fight from the Texas Railroad Commission, ensuring that our prized oil and gas industry, the Texas Miracle, is not stolen by militant Islamists who seek to do us harm.
End DEI’s Stranglehold on Texas Oil
The Texas Miracle is the cornerstone of both the Texas and the US economies. Merit and hard work must be the first and foremost concern for this crucial backbone of our state. Unfortunately, DEI has made its way into the Texas oil and gas industry and must be stopped.
The Texas Railroad Commission gives out over a million dollars per year in contracts based on DEI criteria rather than merit, totaling nearly $10 million in DEI contracts during the incumbent’s term, all at taxpayer expense. Chairman French will fight to end this program, returning the Texas Railroad Commission to merit-based decision-making.
End CCP Influence over Our Oil Industry
Bo will continue to be the leading voice against the Chinese Communist Party takeover of Texas and our oil and gas industry. He exposed the CCP billionaire who had purchased oil wells across our state, even calling out the CCP lobbyists pushing for greater Chinese control over our energy sector in Austin; that CCP oil company went bankrupt this year.
French will push for additions to operator paperwork that pre-screen for prohibited organizations under the SB17 ban on hostile foreign ownership to help prevent groups like the Chinese Communist Party from circumventing state law and taking ownership of Texas oil and gas.
Protect the US and Our Allies
Chairman French will push for greater cooperation between Texas and its allies, like Israel, which are heavily involved in the Texas oil and gas industry. One plank of this support will be to push for the passage of SCR 24 by State Sen. Phil King, which calls for the establishment of a Texas Trade and Investment Office in Jerusalem. He will continue to lead the fight against anti-American and anti-Israel radical Islamists who seek to use Texas oil to gain power and influence in our state.
French will also push for a Joint Partnership between the Texas Railroad Commission and the State of Israel which would foster joint research and efforts to increase the oil and gas industries in both Texas and Israel.
Support Life and the Nuclear Family
Chairman French is unapologetically pro-life and believes that every child is made in the image of God. He will ensure that the Texas Railroad Commission remains committed to pro-life and pro-family policy. However, Bo also recognizes that the nuclear family is the #1 target of Marxists and will work to create a pro-family environment in the Railroad Commission and the Texas oil and gas industry.
Bo will champion the establishment of a pro-family credentialing program for Texas oil and gas operators to signal to our state and to prospective employees that they care for employees and their families.
— Bo French's campaign website (January 16, 2026)
2016
French's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Immigration and Border Security: I am deeply concerned about the lack of security on our border and our broken immigration system. Our government continues to look the other way instead of instituting real reforms, such as eliminating the magnets of chain migration, in-state tuition, free healthcare and education. Politicians in Austin have done very little to protect our state from this burden, which is unsustainable. The lawlessness from this administration must stop and as Texans we can do better. Education: I support local control of schools including charter schools and any other system that protects parents’ rights to ensure their child gets a great education. We are punishing low-income children by forcing them to stay in underperforming schools. If we don’t unchain our youth from the shackles of our current system, every generation that follows will be worse off than we are now, and American exceptionalism will become a thing of the past. Budget and the Economy: I believe we should, at minimum, institute a cap on the growth of government at no more than population plus inflation and then work to reduce the burden on taxpayers. The Legislature should institute zero-based budgeting making every agency budget for their needs instead of adding to what they already get. Nothing will spur our economy more quickly than our hard working taxpayers keeping a larger percentage of their money so they can spend, invest, or risk it on new business. That is the key to economic growth. Family Values: We cannot expect prosperity when we continue to kick out pillars, redefine what a family unit looks like, redefine the purpose of family, and redefine how God intends a family to operate with two equal in value individuals who have distinct roles and responsibilities. This is a direct attack on our religious liberty. I will strongly defend traditional family values; it is the only way to preserve our society. States Rights: We are blessed to have choices in this country; with 50 different states acting as 50 laboratories of democracy, people can choose which state’s policies work the best for them. The states should be pushing back against an increasingly out of control central government. Other states are looking to Texas to lead the fight against this overreach and I will lead the charge to ensure we remain the tip of the spear.[17] |
” |
| —Bo French[18] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
| Bo French | |
| Republican National Convention, 2016 | |
| Status: | District-level delegate |
| Congressional district: | 12 |
| State: | Texas |
| Bound to: | Ted Cruz |
| Delegates to the RNC 2016 | |
| Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • Delegate rules by state • State election law and delegates • Delegates by state | |
French was a district-level delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Texas. French was one of 104 delegates from Texas bound by state party rules to support Ted Cruz at the convention.[19] Cruz suspended his campaign on May 3, 2016. At the time, he had approximately 546 bound delegates. For more on what happened to his delegates, see this page.
Delegate rules
At-large delegates from Texas to the national convention were selected by a state nominations committee and approved by the Texas State GOP Convention in May 2016. District-level delegates were elected by congressional districts at the state convention and then approved by the convention as a whole. At the national convention, all delegates were bound on the first ballot unless their candidate withdrew from the race or released his or her delegates. A delegate remained bound on the second ballot if his or her candidate received at least 20 percent of the total vote on the first ballot. On the third and subsequent ballots, all delegates were to become unbound.
Texas primary results
- See also: Presidential election in Texas, 2016
| Texas Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
| Jeb Bush | 1.2% | 35,420 | 0 | |
| Ben Carson | 4.2% | 117,969 | 0 | |
| Chris Christie | 0.1% | 3,448 | 0 | |
| Ted Cruz |
43.8% | 1,241,118 | 104 | |
| Carly Fiorina | 0.1% | 3,247 | 0 | |
| Lindsey Graham | 0.1% | 1,706 | 0 | |
| Elizabeth Gray | 0.2% | 5,449 | 0 | |
| Mike Huckabee | 0.2% | 6,226 | 0 | |
| John Kasich | 4.2% | 120,473 | 0 | |
| Rand Paul | 0.3% | 8,000 | 0 | |
| Marco Rubio | 17.7% | 503,055 | 3 | |
| Rick Santorum | 0.1% | 2,006 | 0 | |
| Donald Trump | 26.8% | 758,762 | 48 | |
| Other | 1% | 29,609 | 0 | |
| Totals | 2,836,488 | 155 | ||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State and CNN | ||||
Delegate allocation
Texas had 155 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 108 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's 36 congressional districts). District-level delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the primary vote in a district in order to be eligible to receive any of that district's delegates. If only one candidate met the 20 percent threshold in a district, he or she won all of the district's delegates. If two candidates met this threshold, the first place finisher received two of the district's delegates; the second place finisher received the remaining delegate. If no candidate won 20 percent of the vote, the top three finishers in a district each received one of the district's delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote in a district, he or she received all of the district's delegates.[20][21]
Of the remaining 47 delegates, 44 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the statewide primary vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. If only one candidate broke the 20 percent threshold, the second place finisher still received a portion of the state's at-large delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[20][21]
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Bo French | Republican for State House, "About Bo," accessed February 17, 2018
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 7, 2026
- ↑ Texas Observer, "Four Things to Watch as Election 2018 Gets Underway in Texas," December 13, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedFreedomC - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBlastf20 - ↑ Star-Telegram, "Geren has a record of working for Tarrant County," February 6, 2018
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNFIB - ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History results," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Charlie Geren on Twitter, "TX Manufacturers PAC endorsement," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ TMPA.org, "2016 primary endorsements," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Realtors, "Why We Support Charlie Geren," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ Bo French, "Endorsements," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ Star-Telegram, "GOP battle for Texas House District 99," February 10, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Bo French for Texas House, "Issues," accessed February 23, 2016
- ↑ Texas GOP, "National Convention," May 19, 2016
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
