Texas Republican Bo French faced scrutiny for execution calls
CNN investigation uncovered social media posts advocating for public executions of political opponents.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Texas Republican Bo French faced scrutiny for execution calls
Photograph: Joe.My.God. (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Republican Texas Railroad Commission candidate Bo French has faced scrutiny over social media posts calling for the execution of political opponents.
- A CNN KFile investigation uncovered posts from French advocating for the execution of former President Barack Obama and other officials.
- French also wrote about wanting 'public executions' of government officials identified by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency effort.
- French is running for the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state's oil and gas industry.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 14 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 5 of the 19 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
53/100
Hype
68/100
19 sources · methodology
Missing from the right
None of the 14 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
A reader who follows the right would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.
Republican Texas Railroad Commission candidate Bo French has faced scrutiny for social media posts calling for the execution of political opponents. A CNN KFile investigation uncovered posts from French advocating for the execution of former President Barack Obama and other officials.
Posts linked to French repeatedly advocated for executions. In 2020, he wrote that the death penalty was necessary for what he called "Obama conspirators," referencing historical punishment for treason. In February 2025, French wrote about wanting "public executions" of government officials identified by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency effort. He also previously posted an image of South Asian students at the University of Texas, describing their presence as a "problem."
Disagreements in reporting
Raw Story reported that French "repeatedly called for lynching of Obama, then rushes to delete posts." Mediaite reported that French "once called for Obama to be publicly executed." Joe.My.God. reported that French "Called For Publicly Executing Obama." News Facts Network reported that French "called for the execution of political opponents and government officials."
What the coverage left out
No right-rated outlet ran this story. None of the reports below mention specific details about the content of the "Department of Government Efficiency effort" or the specific "claims surrounding the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election" that French referenced in his posts.
Coverage settled. We checked this 19 times and stopped on 3 Oct 2026, 22:15. The figures above are what it finished at.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
7 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports focused on Bo French's calls for executions, particularly of former President Barack Obama. Raw Story's headline stated French "repeatedly called for lynching of Obama, then rushes to delete posts." The New Republic reported French "Has Long History of Calling for Public Executions." Joe.My.God. highlighted that the "GOP Nominee Called For Publicly Executing Obama." Mediaite reported that French "Once Called for Obama to Be Publicly Executed."
Centre
7 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports highlighted Bo French's calls for public executions of political opponents. News Facts Network's headline stated "Texas Republican Faces Scrutiny Over Past Calls for Public Executions of Democratic Leaders." Political Wire's headline read "Texas GOP Candidate Called for Public Executions."
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right ran this story. We watched the coverage until it stopped changing, and none appeared.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Texas Republican Bo French faced scrutiny for execution calls?
- Of the 14 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 50% are rated left, 50% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 19. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Texas Republican Bo French faced scrutiny for execution calls left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 14 rated outlets on this story, 50% are rated left, 50% are rated centre, 0% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Texas Republican Bo French faced scrutiny for execution calls biased?
- Texas Republican Bo French faced scrutiny for execution calls is one event reported by 19 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Texas Republican Bo French faced scrutiny for execution calls?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Texas Republican Bo French faced scrutiny for execution calls?
- 19 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What is Bo French running for?
- Bo French is running for a position on the Texas Railroad Commission. This commission regulates the state's oil and gas industry.
- What kind of social media posts did Bo French make?
- Bo French made social media posts calling for the execution of political opponents, including former President Barack Obama. He also posted about wanting 'public executions' of government officials and described South Asian students as a 'problem'.
- Which news outlets reported on Bo French's posts?
- News Facts Network, enikos.gr, LiFO, Raw Story, The New Republic, Joe.My.God., Mediaite, and Political Wire reported on Bo French's social media posts.
Read it at the source
19 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
7- Man, This Texas GOP Candidate Really Loves Demanding ‘Public Executions’ for His Enemies (opens Jezebel in a new tab)
Jezebel — is Jezebel biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- 'Hang Em High': GOP Candidate Called For Obama To Be Lynched In Now-Deleted Posts (opens Crooks and Liars in a new tab)
Crooks and Liars — is Crooks and Liars biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Texas Republican Bo French once called for hanging Barack Obama, records show (opens San Antonio Current in a new tab)
San Antonio Current — is San Antonio Current biased? Our profile of this outlet
- GOP candidate repeatedly demands lynching of Obama — then rushes to delete posts (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- Texas GOP Candidate Has Long History of Calling for Public Executions (opens The New Republic in a new tab)
The New Republic — is The New Republic biased? Our profile of this outlet
- GOP Nominee Called For Publicly Executing Obama (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Texas Republican Who Went Viral for Racist Post Once Called for Obama to Be Publicly Executed: CNN (opens Mediaite in a new tab)
Centre
7- "I Want Public Executions: Republicans From Texas Demanded "Hanging up by Democrats on Social Media (opens mannheim24.de in a new tab)
mannheim24.de — is mannheim24.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "I Want Public Executions: Republicans From Texas Demanded "Hanging up by Democrats on Social Media (opens Kreiszeitung in a new tab)
Kreiszeitung — is Kreiszeitung biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "I Want Public Executions: Republicans From Texas Demanded "Hanging up by Democrats on Social Media (opens tz.de in a new tab)
- "I Want Public Executions: Republicans From Texas Demanded "Hanging up by Democrats on Social Media (opens hna.de in a new tab)
- Trump, Republicans refuse to pull endorsement of Bo French (opens The Hill in a new tab)
The Hill — is The Hill biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Texas Republican Faces Scrutiny Over Past Calls for Public Executions of Democratic Leaders (opens News Facts Network in a new tab)
News Facts Network — is News Facts Network biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Texas GOP Candidate Called for Public Executions (opens Political Wire in a new tab)
Political Wire — is Political Wire biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
5- Report: Texas GOP candidate called for public executions in past social media posts (opens BizToc in a new tab)
- USA: "I Want Public Executions" - Extreme Statements by Republican Candidate (opens Documento in a new tab)
- Texas, controversial GOP candidate post emerges, 'public executions for Obama conspirators' - JIJI PRESSTexas, controversial GOP candidate post emerges, 'public executions for Obama conspirators' (opens 時事ドットコム in a new tab)
時事ドットコム
- Texas: Republican Candidate Called for "Public Executions" of Political Opponents - Reports Even to Obama (opens enikos.gr in a new tab)
- CNN: "I Want Public Executions" - Extreme Statements by a Republican Candidate in the US (opens LiFO in a new tab)
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
