RODRIQUEZ: Racist Rhetoric a Danger to Society

OPINION

The University of Texas had a stunning comeback win against the No. 1 school in the nation — “Hook ‘Em Horns.”

Republican candidate for Railroad Commissioner Bo French took to social media platform X to make racist comments following the victory. He was lamenting the skin color and heritage of minority students that attend one of the greatest universities in Texas; Bo does not like brown folks.

Some Republicans have come out and made strongly worded posts condemning French.

None of them called for him to drop out of the race, and if he wins, he will take his bigoted perspective into office, presiding over the very people that he marginalizes and demonizes.

Bo French’s racism is not a new thing though; he is just another in a long line of GOP radicals that have been running our state into the ground.

Back in May of 2022 our own State Sen. Charles Perry joked that an adequate immigration policy for our district might be to “shoot, shovel, and shut up.”

In a Senate committee meeting on rural Texas, he grinned and chuckled as he said, “I’ve got a phrase I want to say so bad… it kind of addresses the immigration issue up in my area of the woods I’m afraid, it’s ‘Shoot, Shovel and Shut Up.'”

Charles Perry is supposedly a moderate.

French’s language and behavior is not new, and it’s not shocking to any member of minority groups in Texas. This is just business as usual.

This is the result of a culture of politicians who believe they are untouchable, unaccountable, and flat out hostile towards anyone a shade or two darker than them.

This is one of the biggest reasons I decided to run for office. The sheer disregard for human suffering with which our officials behave is appalling and disgusting.

Charles suggested killing and covering up the deaths of Mexican migrants as a policy while presiding over an official state committee meeting.

Where was the public outcry?

Sure, he made a halfhearted apology three years later, after the clip got some attention, but that’s not going to cut it.

This type of rhetoric and behavior from elected leadership is a danger to our communities.

They’ve proven to us time, and time again they do not have our best interests at heart, whether it is joking about committing violence against migrants, or suggesting that your constituents’ concerns about data centers are overblown — it is clear people are not their priority.

Candidates like Bo French and elected officials like Charles Perry need to be held accountable for their dangerous and violent rhetoric. It is shameful and Texans deserve better.

— Riley Rodriquez for State Senate, District 28

Editor’s note: The statement referenced by Rodriques comes from a 2022 legislative hearing, where audio captured Republican State Sen. Charles Perry using the phrase “shoot, shovel and shut up” to describe one approach to dealing with immigrants in his area.

During that hearing, Perry called the phrase “extremely good,” while expressing deep concerns over immigration.

The remarks were brought light in August 2025 through reporting by Democracy Docket.