Barbara Bush, the daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush, was found to have donated $2,500 to Democratic candidate James Tallarico in the November U.S. Senate election in Texas. While Texas is a Republican stronghold known as a “Red State,” this election has become a tight race within the margin of error due to controversies surrounding Republican candidate Ken Paxton. If the Republican Party loses Texas, its majority in the Senate could become uncertain. Against this backdrop, Barbara Bush’s de facto support for the Democratic candidate is expected to influence the race to some extent.
Although her father, George H.W. Bush, was born in Massachusetts and her brother, George W. Bush, in Connecticut, the political hometown of the father-son duo is Texas. The elder Bush moved to Texas during the 1940s oil boom, achieved significant success in oil development, and began his political career. The younger Bush, who spent most of his childhood in Texas from the age of two, later served as owner of the Texas Rangers (MLB) and governor of Texas (1995–2003). The presidential library of George H.W. Bush is located at Texas A&M University, while that of George W. Bush is on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU).
According to documents submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Barbara donated $2,500 to “Lonestar Rising,” a political action committee (PAC) supporting Tallarico. U.S. media outlets interpreted her donation under her real name as de facto endorsement. Barbara, born in 1981, currently serves as an NBA executive responsible for social contribution activities. Unlike former President Barack Obama, a Democrat who has been campaigning nationwide ahead of the midterm elections, Bush has maintained distance from active politics. She is also known to have a less-than-friendly relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, who strongly mocked her brother Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, during the 2016 Republican primary.
Leave a Reply