Republicans face death threats for condemning nominee's racist rant: report

Republicans in Texas are starting to split over one of their most controversial nominees — and their own safety is in jeopardy because of it.

According to Quorum Report's Scott Braddock on Monday, "Well-placed sources say the Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating death threats against Republican lawmakers who condemned Bo French's racist comments about UT students."

French is running for the Texas Railroad Commission, a three-member body that regulates the state's oil and gas industry. He has a long history of extreme anti-immigration posts, particularly against people of color.

The latest controversy exploded after French posted an image of mostly South Asian students at the University of Texas celebrating a win by the Longhorns college football team. "Like body-cams exposed criminals, social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners. It’s everywhere and far worse than any of us could imagine," he wrote.

His remarks were condemned by a number of local Republican officials. Even Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, though he went out of his way to avoid condemning French directly, said his comments "are not my message."

In one of the most surprising developments, legendary former George W. Bush strategist Karl Rove, a ruthless Texas Republican operative, announced he would be voting for French's Democratic opponent, oil and gas engineer Jon Rosenthal.