{"id":61053,"date":"2025-07-13T01:50:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T01:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/61053\/"},"modified":"2025-07-13T01:50:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T01:50:13","slug":"tarrant-gop-leaders-stand-behind-bo-french-after-social-media-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/61053\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarrant GOP leaders stand behind Bo French after social media backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tarrant County GOP precinct chairs appeared largely unbothered by the backlash their party leader, Bo French, faced from officials within their own political party as they met for the first time since scrutiny over his recent post on X began<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the local GOP\u2019s executive committee meeting the morning of July 12, Republican precinct chairs did not discuss French or the many Republican officials who called for his removal or resignation<\/a> last month following the controversial social media post.\u00a0<\/p>\n

French, who did not return a request for comment, was not in attendance at the meeting. Cary Cheshire, who as vice chair led the meeting in French\u2019s absence, told the nearly 100 precinct chairs in attendance that the chairman is on vacation in Colorado with his children.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not aware of any precinct chair who intended to bring a motion to disapprove, condemn, finger wag, discipline \u2014 anything like that \u2014 Bo at this meeting,\u201d Cheshire told the Fort Worth Report after the meeting ended.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Saturday meeting came two weeks after several Republican officials \u2014 including Fort Worth\u2019s mayor and congressman, plus several state senators and local officials \u2014\u00a0joined Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in condemning French\u2019s \u201cbigotry\u201d toward Jewish and Muslim people. Their callout came two days after French posted a poll on social media<\/a> asking respondents whether Jewish or Muslim people were \u201ca bigger threat to America.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

French has since deleted the post and apologized for posting it, but he also made it clear he had no plans to willingly step down.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Tarrant County GOP chair Bo French\u2019s office sits empty after an executive committee meeting July 12, 2025, at the party\u2019s headquarters located in northwest Fort Worth. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Cheshire said French\u2019s poll shouldn\u2019t have surprised anyone, adding that the chairman has a \u201cvery consistent record of being a truth teller in the public sphere and kind of a whistleblower and speaking out about things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For French to be forcibly removed, Tarrant County\u2019s Republican precinct chairs would have to initiate the process with a majority vote of the party executive committee\u2019s full body, according to Republican Party of Texas rules<\/a>. Precinct chairs, volunteers who work to mobilize voters within their party, serve on the executive committee as voting members.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although local precinct chairs took no action against French on Saturday, leaders with the state GOP could still force French out through a majority vote of their own executive committee. To vote on such a resolution, the committee would be required to notify French in writing seven days in advance of their vote and allow him the opportunity to present a defense, according to the state party\u2019s rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n

No removal, but what about censure?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brooks McKenzie, a 53-year-old precinct chair representing west Arlington, told the Report the day before the meeting that he expected some precinct chairs to potentially try to remove French, or at least censure him. McKenzie said he didn\u2019t personally think French had done anything to merit getting censured.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Censures are formal statements of disapproval against an elected official or party member for their actions or statements, which can potentially result in penalties from the state party. A party\u2019s executive committee must reach a two-thirds vote of approval to censure an office holder \u201cfor three or more actions taken during the current biennium in opposition to the core principles of the Republican Party of Texas,\u201d according to the state party\u2019s rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the meeting, Cheshire discouraged attendees from \u201cwasting time\u201d to take a scheduled vote to censure Republican state representatives Charlie Geren and John McQueeney of Fort Worth and Giovanni Capriglione of Southlake. He said the Republican Party of Texas is currently in the process of reviewing what counts as a censurable offense, and as a result, isn\u2019t reviewing censure resolutions likely until September.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jerah Turner, a precinct chair representing north Grapevine, told the Report after the meeting she was disappointed that they didn\u2019t take action to censure the state representatives, particularly Capriglione, who represents the district she lives in. Regarding French, she said his social media poll was \u201ctaken out of context,\u201d and she doesn\u2019t believe her party leader is racist or antisemitic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never gotten that impression in the times that I\u2019ve met him at all, and I have no interest in censuring him over that post,\u201d Turner said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Former precinct chair Ed Turner, who remains affiliated with the Tarrant County GOP, helps count standing members for a vote during an executive committee meeting July 12, 2025, at the party\u2019s headquarters in northwest Fort Worth. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Brenda Dietrich, 72, has served as a precinct chair since 2000, representing east Arlington. She told the Report the day before the meeting that she\u2019s not a fan of French, and she believes he didn\u2019t think before posting his poll.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI read that, and I was like, \u2018What are you thinking?\u2019\u201d Dietrich said, recalling her reaction to seeing French\u2019s post. \u201cAnd then I was like, \u2018Oh. You weren\u2019t.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Regardless, she said, she plans to continue standing by French, adding that her party needs \u201cmore unity instead of division.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Party condemns council on Islamic relations<\/p>\n

Precinct chairs voted unanimously to approve a resolution denouncing the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy group that condemned French and called for his resignation<\/a> after he posted the poll on Jewish and Muslim people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cheshire told the Report afterward that the resolution against the group was not in response to their demand of French. He said the resolution had already been in consideration for a couple weeks, especially after New York City voters chose Zohran Mamdani \u2014 a Democratic, Socialist Muslim New York state representative \u2014\u00a0as the Democratic nominee in the city\u2019s upcoming mayoral election.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Tarrant County GOP vice chair Cary Cheshire directs speakers during an executive committee meeting July 12, 2025, at the party\u2019s headquarters in northwest Fort Worth. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

\u201cOur precinct chairs are kind of more and more aware of the growing concerns about the Islamization of Texas and the United States of America,\u201d Cheshire said. \u201cI don\u2019t think that any particular social media thing has really tilted them one way or the other. I think it\u2019s the growing attacks all around.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In their resolution, Tarrant Republican precinct chairs called on the Texas Legislature, Tarrant County Commissioners Court and the Republican Party of Texas to declare \u201can invasion of Islamic centers, associations and societies as a dangerous threat to the citizens of Texas and the United States of America and a dangerous threat to our way of life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cheshire said he and other members of the party respect religious freedom and that they \u201ctreat and value people with common decency and as neighbors,\u201d but he doesn\u2019t support the \u201cshifting of our culture from a Western Christian civilization to that of an Islamic civilization.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the Report he isn\u2019t surprised to hear that the Tarrant GOP adopted such a resolution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever their anti-Muslim bigotry is called out, they respond by attempting to deflect, by smearing the messenger,\u201d Hooper said in a phone interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His organization, which he described as the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization<\/a> in the nation, plans to continue calling out \u201canti-Muslim bigotry\u201d wherever they see it \u2014 from French or anyone else.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n

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