Bush dynasty delivers another blow to GOP in Texas Senate battle as family member breaks ranks

The son of George H.W. Bush and brother of George W. Bush publicly backed Talarico over Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race

By Ashley J. DiMella / Fox News | October 24, 2026 1:00pm EDT

Texas voters split in the Senate race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton as poll numbers show a dead heat. Tess Smith and Sarah Gardner join the panel to discuss concerns that Talarico is too liberal and examine his past controversial comments.

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Another member of the Bush family dynasty, Neil Bush, is throwing his weight behind Texas Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico, saying he voted against a political style he believes has “damaged our country.”

“I have never posted a political message on Facebook, not wanting to offend friends whose views may be very different than mine. I’m breaking that tradition because I voted early today, and I voted for James Talarico for the United States Senate,” Neil Bush wrote on Facebook Tuesday.

“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.”

BUSH FAMILY ROYALTY BACKS DEMOCRAT IN BATTLE TO FLIP TEXAS BLUE

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Neil Bush is photographed during the unveiling of a new statue honoring his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, at the Houston Public Library in Houston on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026.(2026 Raquel Natalicchio / Houston Chronicle)

Bush, the son of former President George H.W. Bush and brother of former President George W. Bush , broke with his family’s longstanding Republican political tradition in backing the Democrat.

Former President George W. Bush has maintained friendly relationships with Democratic former presidents, but his relationship with President Donald Trump has been strained since the 2016 Republican presidential primary, when Trump repeatedly attacked his brother Jeb Bush and mocked their mother, former first lady Barbara Bush.

“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,” he added. “But my vote today was about much more than opposition to Ken Paxton.”

WASHINGTON – JANUARY 6: President George W. Bush, first lady Laura Bush, former first lady Barbara Bush and former President George H.W. Bush sit surrounded by family in the Red Room of the White House January 6, 2005 in Washington, DC. Friends and family joined former President Bush and Barbara Bush in celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary at a dinner. Also pictured are: (L to R) Georgia Grace Koch, Margaret Bush, Walker Bush, Marvin Bush, Jenna Bush, Doro Koch, Barbara Bush, Robert P. Koch, Pierce M. Bush, Maria Bush, Neil Bush, Ashley Bush, Sam LeBlond, Robert Koch, Nancy Ellis LeBlond, John Ellis Bush, Jr., Florida Gov. John Ellis “Jeb” Bush, Mandi Bush, George P. Bush, and Columba Bush. (Photo by Eric Draper/White House via Getty Images)(Photo by Eric Draper/White House via Getty Images)

Neil is the second member of the Bush family to recently throw his support behind Talarico. Barbara Bush, daughter of former President George W. Bush, contributed $2,500 on Sept. 23 to Lone Star Rising PAC, a super PAC supporting the Democrat, according to federal campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital.

TRUMP-LINKED MAGA INC POURS $10M INTO KEN PAXTON’S TEXAS SENATE RACE AGAINST JAMES TALARICO

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Barbara Bush attends Sotheby’s Creators & Collectors Dinner at Sotheby’s at the Breuer in New York, N.Y., on Dec. 9, 2025.(Lexie Moreland/WWD via Getty Images)

Lone Star Rising PAC is one of the major outside groups spending to support Talarico and oppose Paxton in the closely contested Texas Senate race, according to federal campaign finance records.

The younger Bush’s support for a Democrat comes as his brother, former President George W. Bush, has increasingly embraced bipartisan relationships in his post-presidency, most recently attending the opening of former President Barack Obama’s presidential center in Chicago in June.

RNC CHAIR SAYS TALARICO’S GOP CROSSOVER HOPES ARE A ‘PIPE DREAM’: ‘NOBODY IS GOING TO FOLLOW HIM’

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President Barack Obama walks down the West Wing Colonnade alongside former US Presidents Bill Clinton (C) and George W. Bush (R) before speaking about joint relief efforts following the earthquake in Haiti, during a statement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 16, 2010.(SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Bush and Michelle Obama have repeatedly spoken warmly about their friendship despite their political differences.

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At the Obama Center opening, Bush even gave Michelle Obama Altoids, recreating their famous mint/cough-drop exchange from John McCain’s 2018 funeral.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, representatives for Neil Bush and the Paxton campaign for comment.

Ashley J. DiMella reports on politics for Fox News Digital.