Neil Bush says he cast early ballot for Talarico in Texas Senate race

Barbara Bush reportedly gave $2,500 to a Talarico-supporting PAC

Neil Bush said he cast his ballot for Talarico as early voting began in the race for a U.S. Senate seat. He announced the decision in a Facebook post late Tuesday.

Neil Bush wrote on Facebook: “My vote was motivated by two things: deep concern about Ken Paxton’s record and genuine admiration for the character and principles I see in James Talarico.” He separately said Paxton’s efforts to help President Donald Trump deny Trump’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden motivated his opposition.

BBC News reported that Barbara Bush had donated to help Talarico, citing campaign finance records. The outlet reported that she gave $2,500 (£1,900) to a political action committee supporting the Democrat. Barbara Bush is the daughter of former President George W Bush and the twin of U.S. chat show host Jenna Hager Bush. Her uncle, Neil Bush, has said he backs the Democrat. BBC News said it had contacted Barbara Bush for comment.

BBC News said Neil Bush and Barbara Bush could potentially influence some disaffected Republican voters before next month’s vote. The report said critics might characterize the Bush family’s backing as political sour grapes because Republican candidate Ken Paxton defeated Neil Bush’s nephew in the primary.

Opinion polls showed Paxton and Talarico neck and neck ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, which will decide which party controls Congress. BBC News noted that no Democrat had won a Texas Senate seat since 1988.

The BBC described the Bush family as a Republican political dynasty that counts Texas as its political launchpad. Neil Bush is a businessman who has never held political office and is remembered for serving as director of the Silverado Savings and Loan when it collapsed in 1988, costing taxpayers more than $1bn.

Paxton defeated George P Bush in the Republican primary. George P Bush, the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, is Neil Bush’s nephew. BBC News described Paxton as “a survivor of several political scandals” and said fellow Republicans in the Texas state legislature had previously impeached him.

The Bush family has had a complex relationship with Trump dating to the 2016 Republican presidential primary, when Trump defeated Jeb Bush. Former President George HW Bush called Trump a “blow hard” and confirmed that he had voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race. BBC News reported that Trump repeatedly criticized George W Bush for launching the U.S. war in Iraq and that George W Bush, George HW Bush’s son, had made indirect criticisms of Trump. George P Bush, by contrast, backed Trump during his own political campaigns.

Getty Images captions accompanying the BBC report showed Neil Bush with George W Bush and George HW Bush. A separate caption pictured Barbara Bush at a Sotheby’s dinner in New York last year.

MSI previously reported on July 20 that Ken Paxton was working to rebuild support among Republican donors reluctant to fund his campaign. The current Bush-family backing adds visible support for Talarico in a race that BBC News reported was neck and neck.