Bush Launches Bid for Texas AG

He is challenging scandal-plagued Ken Paxton
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 3, 2021 12:06 AM CDT
Bush Launches Bid for Texas AG
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush speaks at a kick-off rally where he announced he will run for Texas Attorney General, Wednesday, June 2, 2021, in Austin, Texas.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

George P. Bush on Wednesday launched his next political move: a run for Texas attorney general in 2022 that puts the scion of a Republican dynasty against a GOP incumbent shadowed by securities fraud charges and an FBI investigation. Bush, who has served as Texas' land commissioner since 2015, is the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the nephew and grandson of two former presidents. He is the last of the Bush family still in public office—and was the first to break with them over supporting former President Trump, who has mocked the family that was once the face of the Republican Party, the AP reports. During a visit to Texas in 2019, Trump called George P. Bush "the only Bush that likes me."

Bush is now launching the first major challenge against embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has spent six years in office under felony indictment over accusations of defrauding investors, and more recently was accused of bribery by his own former top aides. "Here in Texas, we have a scandal that is plaguing one of our highest offices. And I believe conservatives should have a choice," Bush said at a campaign kickoff rally in Austin. The 45-year-old said he is stepping up because "everybody else has been quiet and afraid to tell the truth about this guy." Paxton's campaign responded with a statement that made no mention of the accusations against him. "Texans know Attorney General Paxton's rock-solid conservative record," Paxton spokesman Ian Prior said.

(More Texas stories.)

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