And President Donald Trump wasted little time responding.
According to The Texas Tribune, Rove revealed his plans during a members-only luncheon at Austin’s Headliners Club. Three people who attended the event told the outlet that Rove went even further, calling French a “bigot.”
For Rove, voting Democratic would represent a dramatic departure from his decades-long record of supporting Republican candidates.
He told the gathering that the last Democrat he voted for was Bob Bullock, the legendary Texas politician who won another term as lieutenant governor in 1994.
That means Rove says he has gone more than three decades without crossing the aisle.
Until now.
Trump Unloads on Rove
Trump responded Monday with a blistering Truth Social attack on the former Bush adviser.
“He suffers from a major case of Trump Derangement Syndrome primarily because, for almost 10 years, I beat back and won against so many of the people and things that he wanted and espoused,” Trump said.
Trump also accused Rove of being “bad” for the Republican Party and frequently getting political matters wrong.
The clash adds another chapter to the complicated relationship between Trump’s MAGA movement and the Republican establishment that dominated the party during the George W. Bush era.
Rove has repeatedly criticized Trump over the years, while Trump has made clear that he has little interest in taking political advice from the veteran strategist.
This time, however, the dispute involves an actual general-election ballot.
French’s UT Post Ignites Firestorm
The controversy erupted after French posted about a photograph showing students of South Asian descent celebrating the Texas Longhorns’ football victory over Ohio State.
“I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined,” French wrote.
The remarks produced criticism from Democrats as well as several prominent Texas Republicans.
Sen. John Cornyn was among the Republicans who publicly condemned French’s rhetoric. Other Texas GOP figures also criticized the nominee, while French defended his position and pushed back against Republican detractors.
French has shown no indication that he intends to retreat.
Instead, he has characterized some of his GOP critics as less conservative than he is, escalating a dispute that has exposed significant divisions among Texas Republicans.
The controversy has also prompted scrutiny of the assumptions surrounding the photograph. Reuters reported that UT Austin data shows international students account for only a small percentage of undergraduates and that more than 80 percent of the university’s overall student population consists of Texas residents.
An Oil-and-Gas Race Becomes a Culture-War Fight
Lost amid the political fireworks is what the Texas Railroad Commission actually does.
Despite its name, the agency does not regulate railroads.
It oversees major portions of the Texas energy industry, including oil and natural gas production, pipelines, mining, natural gas facilities, and other energy infrastructure.
That makes the commission particularly important in a state that dominates American oil and gas production.
French defeated incumbent Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright to capture the Republican nomination. His background includes work as an energy trader, involvement in a family oil business, and leadership of the Tarrant County Republican Party.
Rosenthal, meanwhile, is a former Democratic state representative and mechanical engineer who spent more than two decades working in the oil field.
French has frequently emphasized immigration and broader cultural issues during his political campaigns, while Rosenthal has focused heavily on enforcement, energy infrastructure, emissions, abandoned wells, and the commission’s regulatory responsibilities.
French Has Faced GOP Criticism Before
This is not French’s first high-profile dispute with members of his own party.
His social-media activity previously triggered a confrontation with Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Patrick called on French to resign as chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party after French posted an online poll asking whether Jews or Muslims represented the greater threat to the United States.
Patrick later supported French’s Republican primary opponent.
After French won the nomination, however, Patrick reportedly shifted his support to the GOP nominee.
French has also secured endorsements from major Republican figures and energy-industry groups, underscoring the unusual political situation now facing Texas Republicans.
The party’s nominee has establishment support in the general election, yet one of the best-known Republican strategists of the past generation says he plans to vote for the Democrat.
Rove Makes His Choice
For Rove, the dispute appears to have crossed a personal political line.
Rather than simply criticizing French or withholding an endorsement, he says he intends to actively cast his ballot for Rosenthal.
That distinction is what transformed the disagreement into a national political story.
Trump’s furious response makes the stakes even clearer.
A race over the obscurely named agency responsible for regulating the most important oil-and-gas state in America has suddenly become another test of the fractures running through the Republican coalition.
French is standing by his rhetoric.
Rove is standing by his decision to cross party lines.
And Trump has made unmistakably clear where he stands in the fight.
