Former President George W. Bush is helping raise money for some Republican candidates ahead of the November elections.
But that support is not being extended too generously. In fact, one GOP candidate in particular has, surprisingly, not gotten the backing of the 43rd President of the United States.
After nearly a decade of staying out of the political scene, Bush is hitting the campaign trail to help candidates in his home state of Texas – with one glaring omission.
“While he prefers to consider himself retired from politics, President Bush recognizes how important it is to keep the Senate and decided to help a few key candidates,” Bush spokesman Freddy Ford told Politico.
The former president held a closed-door event for San Antonio’s Rep. Will Hurd and next week will hold an event in Dallas for Rep. Pete Sessions. Bush is also scheduled to headline upcoming fundraisers for Florida Gov. Rick Scott running for Senate, North Dakota Senate candidate Kevin Cramer, Missouri Senate candidate Josh Hawley, and Indiana Senate candidate Mike Braun.
Noticeably absent from the list of recipients of Bush support? Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who is currently in a close race with his Democratic opponent Rep. Beto O’Rourke.
According to Dallas News:
Cruz once worked for the former commander in chief, both on Bush’s presidential campaign and then in his administration. The senator also met his wife, Heidi, while working for Bush’s campaign, leading him to say that he “will always be grateful” to the former president.
But Bush hasn’t reciprocated many warm feelings for Cruz, who made his name by rebelling against the GOP establishment that Bush represents.
Campaign finance records indicate that neither Bush nor his wife Laura have contributed to Cruz’s campaigns but have noticeably supported other GOP candidates. No plans are currently in place to host a fundraising event for Cruz, Bush’s spokesman said, adding that the incumbent senator has not even asked for assistance.
One poll of likely voters in Texas shows Cruz with only a four-point lead over O’Rourke.
According to a new poll of 519 “likely” voters in the State of Texas by CBS Dallas-Fort Worth/Dixie Strategies, 46 percent of respondents said that they would vote for Cruz, and 42 percent would support O’Rourke.
CBS News reported:
The differential of four points was within the margin of error of 4.3 points, meaning that the two candidates are statistically tied according to this poll.
Forty percent of independents said that they would vote for Cruz, and 38 percent said that they would support O’Rourke. O’Rourke is looking to win over independents who may be displeased with the Republican Party and engage new Democratic voters.
“Senator Cruz is in a race that is tighter than it should be, considering Texas is a conservative state,” said Brian Graham, managing partner of Dixie Strategies.
Bush may not be lending his state senator a helping hand but President Donald Trump announced in August that he would attend a rally for Cruz in Texas in October.
I will be doing a major rally for Senator Ted Cruz in October. I’m picking the biggest stadium in Texas we can find. As you know, Ted has my complete and total Endorsement. His opponent is a disaster for Texas – weak on Second Amendment, Crime, Borders, Military, and Vets!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2018
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Frieda@bizpacreview.com
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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