Neil M. Bush, a brother of former President George W. Bush, said Tuesday that he had voted for James Talarico, the Democratic nominee in the Senate race in Texas, and expressed serious concerns about the record of the scandal-plagued Republican candidate, Ken Paxton.
Mr. Bush, a son of President George H.W. Bush whose family has deep ties to Texas Republicans, wrote on Facebook that his decision to vote early for the Democrat had been motivated by “deep concern about Ken Paxton’s record and genuine admiration for the character and principles I see in James Talarico.” The New York Times confirmed that the post was authentic.
It was a remarkable announcement from someone whose brother served as the Republican governor of Texas and whose father had been a two-term Republican congressman from Texas.
“I have been deeply troubled by Paxton’s conduct as Texas Attorney General, particularly his decision to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election in other states in an effort to help Donald Trump remain in power,” wrote Mr. Bush, 71. “I believe that effort was an affront to our democratic institutions and the peaceful transfer of power. My concerns about his judgment and conduct are hardly mine alone. He was impeached by the Republican-controlled Texas House, although subsequently acquitted by the Texas Senate.” Mr. Paxton, aided by a late endorsement from President Trump, won the Republican nomination for Senate in Texas by defeating Senator John Cornyn, a longtime pillar of the Republican establishment in Texas.
Mr. Bush said his vote was more than a protest against Mr. Paxton or Mr. Trump’s leadership of the Republican Party, writing that he had been “enormously impressed” by Mr. Talarico, a Texas state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian.
“I see in him the qualities I admire most in public servants: integrity, civility, humility, and a willingness to listen to those with whom he disagrees,” Mr. Bush wrote.
Mr. Bush added that he remained deeply invested “in many traditional Republican principles,” but that “character matters more than party affiliation.”
Mr. Paxton’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Former President George W. Bush has not weighed in on the Senate race. His daughter Barbara Bush donated to a super PAC behind Mr. Talarico, according to campaign finance filings. (She had also knocked on doors for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.)
Theodore Schleifer contributed reporting.
The post A Bush Brother Breaks Ranks to Vote for Talarico appeared first on New York Times.
