2026年10月21日 / 美国东部时间上午11:02 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
前总统乔治·W·布什的弟弟、前总统乔治·H·W·布什的儿子尼尔·布什于周二表示，自己在得州联邦参议员选举中为民主党人詹姆斯·塔拉里科投了票，同时批评特朗普总统以及“那些纵容他的人”给共和党“造成了巨大伤害”。
“我的投票出于两点原因：一是对肯·帕克斯顿的政绩深感担忧，二是由衷钦佩詹姆斯·塔拉里科身上展现出的品格与原则，”布什在脸书的一篇帖子中写道。
塔拉里科目前正在与共和党籍得州总检察长肯·帕克斯顿角逐参议院席位，这是全美竞争最激烈的参议院选举之一。早期投票已于周一启动。
布什家族几乎与共和党在得州的崛起绑定在一起。20世纪大部分时间里，民主党主导了得州政坛，而乔治·W·布什在1994年击败民主党州长安·理查兹，为共和党接管该州奠定了基础。短短十年间，共和党拿下了所有全州性公职，重新绘制美国国会选区地图以巩固自身优势，并控制了得州州议会参众两院。
2013年11月17日，尼尔·布什与乔治·W·布什、乔治·H·W·布什在得州休斯顿的瑞兰特体育场。
杰布·布什之子、尼尔与乔治·W·布什的侄子乔治·P·布什曾在2022年共和党初选中挑战帕克斯顿竞选总检察长，但最终失败。
在帖子中，尼尔·布什写道，自己“对帕克斯顿作为得州总检察长的行为深感不安，尤其是他为帮助唐纳德·特朗普连任而质疑其他州2020年总统选举结果的决定”。
自乔治·W·布什2009年卸任以来，布什家族多数成员通常避免批评时任总统。
尼尔·布什指出，自己“大半辈子都是共和党人，至今仍深深信奉许多传统共和党原则”。
“但品格比党派归属更重要，”他写道，“我们的民主有赖于尊重体制、讲真话、勇于担责、致力于团结而非分裂的领导人。”
帕克斯顿是本届选举中最具争议的候选人之一，他于2015年因证券欺诈指控被起诉，后来通过转处协议达成和解。2023年，共和党控制的得州众议院以受贿和滥用公职为由对他发起弹劾，随后他在州参议院弹劾审判中被判无罪。
今年早些时候，帕克斯顿在获得特朗普总统背书后，在激烈的共和党初选中击败现任参议员约翰·康林。在整个大选期间，总统一直大力支持帕克斯顿，多次前往得州为其助选。
尽管得州自1988年以来从未选出过民主党籍联邦参议员，但民主党人希望今年能扭转局势。塔拉里科在多数民调中都保持微弱领先，包括近期的哥伦比亚广播公司新闻民调。哥伦比亚广播公司新闻的战场追踪民调机构将这场选举评为势均力敌的胶着状态。
尼尔·布什在帖子中表示，自己“今天的投票远不止于反对肯·帕克斯顿”。
“我从未见过詹姆斯·塔拉里科，但他处理复杂且有争议问题的方式给我留下了极为深刻的印象，”布什写道，“他说话带着敬意，寻求共识，似乎真心希望将人们团结在一起，而非制造分裂。”
布什称赞了身为神学院学生的塔拉里科的信仰，并补充道，他在塔拉里科身上看到了“公共服务者最令我钦佩的品质：正直、文明、谦逊，以及愿意倾听与自己意见相左之人的意愿”。
George W. Bush’s brother Neil Bush says he voted for James Talarico in Texas Senate race
October 21, 2026 / 11:02 AM EDT / CBS News
Neil Bush, the brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H.W. Bush, said Tuesday that he voted for Democrat James Talarico in the Texas Senate race while criticizing President Trump and “those who have enabled him” for causing “enormous damage to the Republican Party.”
“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 wrote in a Facebook post.
Talarico is currently facing Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in one of the country’s most closely contested Senate races. Early voting started Monday.
The Bush name is nearly synonymous with the rise of the Republican Party in Texas. Democrats dominated Texas politics for much of the 20th century, and George W. Bush’s defeat of Democratic Gov. Ann Richards in 1994 helped cement the GOP’s takeover. Within a decade, Republicans swept every statewide office, redrew the U.S. House map to enhance their advantage and took the majority in both houses of the state Legislature.
Neil Bush and Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush at Reliant Stadium on Nov. 17, 2013, in Houston, Texas. Bob Levey / Getty Images
George P. Bush, the son of Jeb Bush and nephew of Neil and George W. Bush, unsuccessfully challenged Paxton in a primary for attorney general in 2022.
In his post, Neil Bush wrote that he is “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.”
Most members of the Bush family have generally avoided criticizing the sitting president since George W. Bush left office in 2009.
Neil Bush noted that he has 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,” he wrote. “Our democracy depends on leaders who respect our institutions, tell the truth, accept accountability, and seek to unite rather than divide.”
One of the more controversial candidates on the ballot this cycle, Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015, which were later settled as part of a diversion agreement. He was impeached in 2023 by the GOP-controlled Texas House on separate accusations of bribery and abuse of office. He was acquitted in the state Senate trial.
Paxton toppled incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a bitter GOP primary earlier this year after receiving Mr. Trump’s endorsement. The president has continued to vigorously back Paxton throughout the general election, making several trips to Texas to campaign for him.
Although Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988, Democrats are hopeful their fortunes will change this year. Talarico has had a narrow lead in most polls, including a recent CBS News poll. CBS News’ Battleground Tracker rates the race as a toss-up.
Neil Bush said in his post that his “vote today was about much more than opposition to Ken Paxton.”
“I’ve never met James Talarico, but I have been enormously impressed by the way he approaches complicated and controversial issues,” Bush wrote. “He speaks with respect, seeks common ground, and seems genuinely interested in bringing people together rather than driving them apart.”
Bush praised Talarico, who is a seminarian, for his faith, and added that he sees “in him the qualities I admire most in public servants: integrity, civility, humility, and a willingness to listen to those with whom he disagrees.”
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