This Tuesday, Texans will go to the polls and determine whether the Bush political dynasty in the state can be laid to rest.
George P. Bush, grandson and nephew to presidents and currently the Texas Land Commissioner, is running to unseat scandal-plagued attorney general Ken Paxton. He is the only Bush still holding public office.
Paxton failed to get 50% of the vote against Bush in the March 1 primary, leading to a runoff election that will be held Tuesday, May 24. At this point, the race is too close to call.
But political observers in Texas point out that Paxton, facing an indictment on securities fraud charges and a continuing federal corruption investigation, shouldn’t be anywhere near the lead in the race. Ordinarily, the name “Bush” in Texas would have guaranteed a blowout win for the challenger. But times have definitely changed and, to put it mildly, this ain’t your granddaddy’s Republican Party in Texas or anywhere else.
Mr. Bush broke with his father (Jeb), his uncle (George W.) and his grandfather (George H.W.) and aligned himself with Mr. Trump and his followers. The effort to distance himself from his relatives was captured in a campaign beer koozie that his campaign handed out last year, quoting Mr. Trump: “This is the Bush that got it right. I like him,” it says, beneath a line drawing of Mr. Trump shaking Mr. Bush’s hand.
The effort did not pay off. Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Paxton, who had filed lawsuits seeking to overturn the 2020 election and had appeared with Mr. Trump at his rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, before members of the crowd stormed the Capitol.
Bush’s name — a name he’s used his entire career to get ahead in politics — is now a drag on his chances in the runoff election for attorney general.
Related: George W. Bush Hits the ‘Wholly Unjustified and Brutal Invasion of Iraq. I Mean, of Ukraine.’
Indeed, the Bush dynasty would appear to be on its last legs. That doesn’t mean that George P. won’t win on Tuesday, but it does mean that the heady days of having instant credibility to run for any office are gone.
Prior to the rise of Trump, Republicans in Texas were excited about the future prospects of George P. There was talk of Bush running for governor or senator after he had been suitably seasoned as Land Commissioner.
But Bush has become a victim of his own legacy.
“I enjoyed watching you talk, because to me, you have all the mannerisms of Governor Bush,” a man told him, to laughter in the room. “Your hands are just like ‘Saturday Night Live.’”
Another attendee also made reference to his family. “I’ve heard people say that they’re not going to vote for you because they’re tired of the Bush dynasty,” said Doug Smith, a club member, echoing the views of some in the room. “How do you respond to those people?”
“I’ll never run away from being a Bush; I love my family,” he said. Most of the crowd applauded.
The Republican Party is finished with the Bushes. They have lost their national base, and it appears that Texans are not excited to keep the dynasty on life support.
Bush may win on Tuesday in Texas, but there’s no national future for George P. He and his father and grandfather will continue to hang around the fringes of GOP politics — newsworthy only when the media wants a quote by a Republican that criticizes other Republicans.
It should be noted that they served honorably and took public service as a calling, not a job to enrich themselves or their family. They knew that with great wealth and great notoriety there came great responsibility to give back to the nation that gave them so much.
Their like will probably never be seen again.
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