By Another member of the Bush family is backing Democrat James Talarico in Texas’s U.S. Senate race, with Neil Bush announcing Tuesday that he voted against Republican Ken Paxton while accusing President Donald Trump of damaging the GOP. The brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H.W. Bush praised Talarico’s character, embracing a Democrat whose liberal positions put him at odds with conservatives on abortion, religion in public schools, and gender politics.
“I voted early today, and I voted for James Talarico for the United States Senate,” Bush wrote on Facebook. He acknowledged his longtime Republican affiliation but argued that character “matters more than party affiliation.”
Neil Bush, brother of one President Bush & son of another President Bush, just posted that he voted for @JamesTalarico. Neil still lives in the same neighborhood as father did for decades here in Houston. pic.twitter.com/o2ElxTPKwv
— Miya Shay (@miyashay) October 21, 2026
Bush portrayed Talarico, a state lawmaker he has never met, as a unifying figure. “He speaks with respect, seeks common ground, and seems genuinely interested in bringing people together rather than driving them apart,” he wrote.
That assessment leaves out the ideological differences between Talarico and the party (and state) the Bush family once led. Talarico promoted his office’s adoption of pronouns on business cards in 2021, claiming it was the first in the Texas Capitol to do so. The episode illustrates his embrace of progressive gender politics well before his statewide campaign.
Talarico has also invoked his Christian faith to defend legal abortion, rejecting the argument that Christians must oppose it. He opposed Texas’s requirement that public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments, arguing that the government should not elevate one religious tradition over others. His frequent religious appeals accompany positions firmly opposed by the religious conservatives who have long formed a central part of the Republican coalition.
Bush’s announcement focused instead on Paxton’s conduct, particularly his attempt to challenge the 2020 presidential election results. The attorney general’s December 2020 Supreme Court filing sought to set aside results in four states carried by Joe Biden; the court rejected the case.
“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,” Bush wrote. “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.”
Bush then broadened his attack to Trump and the Republicans who support him. “More broadly, I believe Donald Trump and those who have enabled him have done enormous damage to the Republican Party. I worry about a political culture in which loyalty to an individual takes precedence over loyalty to principle, and where those who hold power begin to believe they are no longer accountable.”
His praise for Talarico was considerably more generous. Bush wrote: “His faith appears to be a deeply rooted source of humility, compassion, and conviction rather than a political weapon.
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. My impression is that he is a principled, pragmatic leader who understands that public office is a responsibility to serve, not an entitlement to power.”
Neil Bush is not the first member of the family to support the Democrat. Federal records show that George W. Bush’s daughter Barbara Bush contributed $2,500 in September to Lone Star Rising PAC, an outside group backing Talarico. A University of Texas poll released last week showed Talarico leading Paxton, 50 percent to 47 percent.
Bush concluded by presenting his crossover vote as a matter of principle. “I have been a Republican for most of my life, and I still believe deeply in many traditional Republican principles. But character matters more than party affiliation. Our democracy depends on leaders who respect our institutions, tell the truth, accept accountability, and seek to unite rather than divide.”
“Today, I voted against a style of politics that I believe has damaged our country. More importantly, I voted for the kind of character and leadership I hope will help heal it,” he added. His choice also puts another member of a Republican political dynasty behind a Democrat whose positions would advance a substantially different agenda in Washington.
[READ MORE: Report: Liberals Moving To ‘Delegitimize’ American Government]
