Hillary Shepheard, president of the Tarrant County Young Republicans, resigned over the weekend after saying she plans to vote for Democrat Jon Rosenthal over Republican Bo French in the Texas railroad commissioner race. She told The Atlantic she will leave the U.S. Senate race blank. In a statement Saturday, she said she had struggled with the decision but came to see it as the right choice.
French, who served as Tarrant County Republican Party chairman, has faced criticism from members of his own party over social media posts that targeted racial, ethnic and religious minorities. Shepheard said her party needs a wake-up call about the importance of candidates' character. She said she did not realize that publicly announcing her plan to vote for a non-Republican violated Texas Young Republican Federation policy. KERA reached out to the Tarrant County Young Republicans for comment.
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, a moderate Republican, has also backed Rosenthal for railroad commissioner. Parker said she would not vote for French, arguing the commission should focus on the state's energy industry and economic interests rather than cultural divisions.