Barbara Bush donates to a Democratic PAC in the Texas Senate race, highlighting rare cross-party support and family political divisions.
A donation from former President George W. Bush’s daughter has stirred controversy in Texas’s closely watched United States Senate contest. Barbara Bush contributed $2,500 to Lone Star Rising PAC, an outside organization supporting Democratic nominee James Talarico. Federal Election Commission records date the contribution to September 23, according to reporting by Texas Public Radio and Fox News. The disclosure drew attention because the Bush family remains closely associated with Republican politics and former presidential administrations.
Talarico faces Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the November 3 general election. The donation belongs to Barbara Bush, not her father, and does not establish his endorsement of Talarico. Bush is the twin sister of television host Jenna Bush Hager and granddaughter of former First Lady Barbara Bush. Her political interests have sometimes differed from those of prominent Republican officeholders, including her father.
Her latest contribution has therefore renewed discussion about divisions within the broader Bush political family. Lone Star Rising PAC accounts for nearly all outside spending supporting Talarico. Unlike direct candidate contributions, independent expenditure committees can accept large donations but cannot coordinate spending with campaigns. The donation was disclosed publicly through federal reporting requirements governing political action committees.