Neil Bush Says He Voted for Democrat James Talarico in Texas Senate Race

Neil Bush, a son of former president George H.W. Bush and a lifelong Republican, has said he crossed party lines to vote early for Democrat James Talarico over Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race. He announced his choice in a Facebook post on Tuesday, October 21, 2026, about two weeks before the 2026 midterm elections.

In the post, Bush wrote that he had never before posted a political message on Facebook, because he did not want to offend a friend. He said he had voted early, before Election Day, for Talarico for the U.S. Senate, and he cited concern about Paxton's record as one of two reasons.

Bush, who is 71, said he was "deeply troubled" by Paxton's conduct and "enormously impressed" by Talarico's principles. He described Talarico as a "principled, pragmatic leader" willing to listen to people he disagrees with, according to The Guardian.

Bush directed much of his criticism at Paxton's time as Texas attorney general, the state's top law enforcement officer. He criticised Paxton's decision to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election in other states, which Bush said was aimed at helping Donald Trump remain in power. CBS News and Newsweek both reported Bush's comments on the 2020 challenge. Bush also referred to Paxton's 2023 impeachment by the Texas state legislature and his later acquittal as among the controversies in his record.

Paxton, 63, is the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate and the current Texas attorney general. Talarico, 37, is the Democratic nominee and uses faith-based messaging in his campaign. No Democrat has won the Texas U.S. Senate seat since the 1980s.

The Daily Beast described the race as a likely decisive battle for a seat now held by Republicans. It said Paxton was struggling against Talarico, whom it called an insurgent, and framed Bush's endorsement as a snub of what it called Trump's MAGA pick, Paxton.