AUSTIN, Texas (Diya TV) — Texas House candidate Pooja Sethi used the final day before Election Day to press Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton to condemn posts by fellow Republican Bo French about South Asian students at the University of Texas. Sethi accused Paxton of seeking Indian American support while declining to address French’s remarks directly.
Sethi posted her challenge on X on Monday. She also shared a post by Vasant Bhatt, who questioned a reported Oct. 31 visit by Paxton to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Irving. Bhatt said he was seeking photographs to verify the visit. His post did not establish that Paxton attended the temple, and Sethi’s criticism of Paxton’s response to French stands separately from that unconfirmed claim.
French, the Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, drew criticism after he shared a photo of South Asian students celebrating the University of Texas football team’s Sept. 12 win over Ohio State. He suggested the image showed Americans being displaced by foreigners. Critics said the post treated the students’ appearance as evidence of their citizenship or immigration status.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn called French’s remarks racist and urged other Republicans to speak out. James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee running against Paxton, also challenged Paxton to condemn them.
Paxton responded that he condemns racism but did not name French. Instead, he criticized Talarico, citing the Democrat’s past comments about race. Paxton had previously endorsed French for Railroad Commission.
The controversy reached the University of Texas campus. Students and alumni asked university leaders to reassure South Asian students after French’s post. Three computer science professors emailed students to express support; university officials did not issue a public statement at the time.
Sethi is the Democratic nominee for Texas House District 47 in Austin. She is running for an open seat against Republican Jennifer Mushtaler. Sethi, an attorney and former chair of the Travis County Democratic Party, has also faced racist abuse online during her campaign, according to reporting by The Guardian.
Paxton’s campaign had not immediately responded to Sethi’s post, according to reporting published Tuesday. The temple visit remained unverified, while the earlier exchange over French’s posts showed the distinct responses from Republican leaders: Cornyn condemned the remarks directly; Paxton issued a general condemnation and redirected his criticism toward Talarico.
