Neil Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush, says he voted for Democrat James Talarico over Republican Ken Paxton and criticized those who enabled President Trump.
CBS News reported that Neil Bush said Tuesday he cast his ballot for Talarico in the Texas U.S. Senate race as early voting got underway. He laid out his reasons in a Facebook post and tied them to Paxton’s record as attorney general.
Talarico, a Democrat and seminarian, faces Paxton in a race the network’s Battleground Tracker rates as a toss-up. Talarico has held a narrow lead in most polls, including a recent CBS News survey. Texas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988.
Bush wrote that two things drove his choice: concern about Paxton and admiration for Talarico’s character. He also said President Trump and “those who have enabled him” had caused “enormous damage to the Republican Party.”
In the post, Bush described himself as a longtime Republican who still holds many traditional party principles. He then drew a hard line.
He wrote:
"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 said he was “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.” That account of motive is Bush’s own.
He added:
"But character matters more than party affiliation,"
And he argued:
"Our democracy depends on leaders who respect our institutions, tell the truth, accept accountability, and seek to unite rather than divide."
Bush said his “vote today was about much more than opposition to Ken Paxton.” He also said he has never met Talarico.
On the Democrat, Bush wrote he has been “enormously impressed by the way he approaches complicated and controversial issues,” and that Talarico “speaks with respect, seeks common ground, and seems genuinely interested in bringing people together rather than driving them apart.” He said he sees in Talarico “the qualities I admire most in public servants: integrity, civility, humility, and a willingness to listen to those with whom he disagrees.”
Paxton’s legal history is part of the public file Bush invoked. In 2015, Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges and later settled through a diversion agreement. In 2023, the GOP-controlled Texas House impeached him on separate accusations of bribery and abuse of office. The state Senate acquitted him.
Earlier this year, Paxton toppled incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary after President Trump endorsed him. Trump has continued to back Paxton in the general election and has made several trips to Texas to campaign for him.
This is not the first Bush-family clash with Paxton. In 2022, George P. Bush, son of Jeb Bush and nephew of Neil and George W. Bush, unsuccessfully challenged Paxton in a primary for attorney general.
For much of the 20th century, Democrats dominated Texas politics. That changed in stages. In 1994, George W. Bush defeated Democratic Gov. Ann Richards. Within a decade, Republicans swept every statewide office, redrew the U.S. House map to strengthen their position, and took majorities in both houses of the state Legislature.
George W. Bush left office in 2009. Since then, most members of the Bush family have generally avoided criticizing the sitting president. Neil Bush’s Facebook post breaks that pattern in plain language, aimed at Trump’s enablers and at Paxton’s tenure.
Early voting in the Senate race started Monday. Bush referred to his “vote today” in the same post that praised Talarico and faulted Paxton’s record.
Neil Bush framed the choice as principle over party. Republican primary voters in Texas already chose Paxton over Cornyn with Trump’s endorsement behind him. George P. Bush tried and failed to beat Paxton in 2022. The general-election map still favors the GOP’s hold on statewide Texas, even in a contest rated a toss-up and even with Talarico’s narrow polling edge.
Bush’s post puts a famous Republican surname on a Democratic ballot line and restates a long-running fight inside the party over 2020, institutional norms, and who defines the brand. Paxton remains the nominee Trump continues to support on the trail.
Texas Republicans already cast their verdict on Ken Paxton in the primary. A Bush family Facebook post does not reverse it.
