Texas nominees' racist, vulgar remarks receive mixed GOP reaction

Republicans have condemned, sidestepped or continued to support two Texas GOP nominees after one's racist post this weekend about students of color and another's years of vulgar comments about women sparked backlash.

The big picture: In a fiercely heated midterm election, some candidates' racist, sexist and crude material online hasn't always been enough to cost them their party's support.

• Warning: This story includes crude, sexually explicit language that may disturb some readers.

Driving the news: House Speaker Mike Johnson was asked Sunday on CNN about vulgar comments Brandon Herrera, a YouTuber-turned-candidate running for a key Texas district, made online in the past — including calling a Nazi submachine gun the "original ghetto blaster."

• In a 2023 clip played on CNN's "State of the Union" of Herrera addressing Moms Demand Action's Shannon Watts, he said, "Just because you let somebody cream-pie you doesn't mean I have to give a s--t about your political opinions. The fact that you kept your c-m trophy doesn't make you any less wrong about the dumb s--t that you say."
• Johnson, who campaigned for Herrera, called the language "detestable" — but applauded his "very effective campaign." He continued, "That was — that was his [YouTuber] persona online, right? Right now, he's running as a very serious candidate for Congress and a very thoughtful guy."
• Herrera is running for the seat ex-Rep. Tony Gonzales resigned in April after admitting to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. President Trump initially endorsed Gonzales but then threw his support behind Herrera.

Zoom out: Bo French, the Republican nominee for the state's Railroad Commission, which regulates the gas industry, sparked outrage this weekend after sharing a photo of students of color celebrating at a Texas Longhorns' game.

• "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 wrote.
• In a separate post, he wrote that "social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners."

What they're saying: Sen. John Cornyn, who lost to a GOP challenger endorsed by President Trump, blasted the post, writing, "Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized."

• Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), who did not have the president's support and lost to a primary challenger, also slammed French.
• State lawmakers also condemned the post, as did James Talarico, the Democrat running against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the seat Cornyn currently holds.
• Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico praised Cornyn's condemnation and called on GOP nominee Ken Paxton to follow suit. Paxton didn't address French's post, instead directing his condemnation at Talarico as the one "dividing Texans by race."
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stopped short of condemning French's post, though he said it was "not my message," and instead emphasized his support for freezing H-1B visas at universities.

Yes, but: It's not just Republicans with skeletons in their closets. Graham Platner's past social media posts dismissing sexual assault and denigrating police, plus his Nazi symbol tattoo, made him a ticking time bomb even before a rape allegation — which he denies — derailed his campaign.

• But he rode out the earlier social media controversy for months, securing the party's nomination and key endorsements before ultimately suspending his campaign.

The bottom line: It comes in an era where more and more candidates' online lives and internet diatribes are becoming an un-erasable part of their record, haunting campaigns.

• But in Herrera's and French's case, the Texas Republicans don't seem to be backing down from some of their comments that sparked the controversy. French has continued to double down even after fellow state Republicans have called on him to delete the post.
• And in response to CNN reporting featuring his crude comments about women's weight, Herrera wrote last week, "Man, I forgot I was this funny."

Go deeper: Behind the Curtain: Trump's "caught on tape" women problem