George Prescott Bush represents the fourth generation of the famed political family to run for office, but according to former President Donald Trump, he’s the first “Bush that got it right.” His friendliness with Trump, however, didn’t get him the former president’s endorsement in Bush’s upcoming three-way primary race for Texas attorney general. That honor went to incumbent Ken Paxton. Rep. Louie Gohmert has also announced a bid. Bush will have to hope his own name recognition can make up the difference.
The 45-year-old Texan was born in Houston to Jeb and Columba Bush. He graduated from Rice University in Texas and then became a teacher before getting a law degree at the University of Texas School of Law. He married his law school classmate Amanda, and the two have two sons.
After law school, Bush clerked for a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas, then practiced corporate and securities law before co-launching a real estate private equity firm and investment firm. He left the private sector and joined the Navy in 2007, later working as an intelligence officer in Afghanistan.
In 2013, he ran for commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, one of the five most senior posts in the state and the only position aside from the attorney general that has the authority to sue the federal government. He won a second term in 2018. This past year, Bush sued the Biden administration for ending federal construction of a border wall that had been funded by Congress.
Bush entered the attorney general race in June 2021, announcing his candidacy in a campaign video in which he applauded Trump’s work as president. The high praise was noteworthy given that his grandfather, former President George H.W. Bush; uncle, former President George W. Bush; and father, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who lost to Trump in the 2016 presidential race, declined to vote for Trump in 2016 and 2020.
“He’s learned from what his grandfather and his uncle and his father have done in their types of government. And now, he’s taken and absorbed all of that and is forming his own version of a renaissance of classic conservatism,” said campaign spokeswoman Karina Erickson. “People will say, ‘Oh, he’s just another Bush, right?’ But the reality is that you have to step back and look at who he is and what his record of accomplishment is versus just what your perception of the last name is.”
But Bush faces an uphill battle. He took second place in a mid-November survey of Republican attorney general candidates with 32% of the vote, while Paxton secured 46%.
If elected, Bush intends to implement tougher penalties for drug traffickers, finish border wall projects halted by the Biden administration, and send state prosecutors to the border to assist district attorneys who are overwhelmed prosecuting illegal immigrants and smugglers on state trespassing charges.
In early December, Bush traveled by car for a four-day tour of the border that stretched from El Paso, Texas, nearly 1,000 miles east, going through Big Bend, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Laredo before ending in McAllen. He visited with Border Patrol agents, Texas state police dispatched to the border, state National Guard soldiers deployed to the border, families of federal law enforcement, and union officials.
“What I really appreciate about George is that he’s willing to listen instead of talk,” said Brandon Judd, National Border Patrol Council president. “Most politicians that I deal with, they already think they know all the answers. They do most of the talking, and they’re there for photo ops.”
“The main reason we’ve endorsed him was because he’s been engaged on this issue from the beginning when he became land commissioner,” he said. “He was by far the most engaged person, so to us, it was an easy no-brainer.”
Bush sat down with the Washington Examiner at his campaign headquarters near downtown Austin to discuss his draw to Trump, becoming his own person in politics, and the potential for a third Bush presidency, as well as what drives him and some of his personal life.
WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Let’s start with your recent trip to the border. Have you always been interested in border issues to the extent that you are today?
GEORGE P. BUSH: I look at it through a national security lens, being a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. I think that makes me unique in this race — I spent 10 years in the U.S. military. I did deploy to Afghanistan, but part of my service was also SOUTHCOM, which looks at everything south of Chiapas, Guatemala, Northern Triangle countries. And so, I actually have a military background looking at organized criminal networks in gangs that are profiting at a higher extent and combining that background with the here and the now. Running for this office as attorney general, I think, is a unique perspective that I have on the other side of the border.
When I got sworn in in 2014, even the Obama administration was detaining and apprehending to an extent that there was deterrence. When you look at the figures, it just doesn’t match what we’re witnessing now. And with the Trump posture, of which I’ve supported on wall construction, the policies speak for themselves and the numbers speak for themselves. But as a parent of two that now opens the newspaper and is consistently reading about young Texas high schoolers overdosing on fentanyl — and the stats now have tabulated over 100,000 drug overdoses this past year alone as we seem to be obsessed with COVID — all that fentanyl is either being cooked in China or Mexico, and increasingly by cartels, mixing in a toxic cocktail that Texas teens are taking and dying from.
WEX: What stood out to you from your border trip?
BUSH: It’s just the differences in enforcement and the posture. So [take] Eagle Pass, underneath their international bridge: Most of that acreage was actually controlled by the city, and knowing that the federal government wasn’t going to help build the wall, and with the state doing what we can to assemble resources and feasibility to construct the wall, they’ve actually utilized Conex trailers. They’re not the prettiest things to look at. But it sends a message to folks on the other side.
WEX: You met with Border Patrol agents in several parts of Texas. How did they respond to meeting and hearing from the state’s land commissioner?
BUSH: They’re like, “Wow, somebody from Texas state government is coming to visit with me and actually cares about what I’m doing.” But … again, as a veteran — whether it’s taking care of military veterans in my capacity as land commissioner, we deal with veterans’ affairs, or now as the attorney general candidate — I want to back law enforcement and actually be with them.
WEX: What did Brandon Judd and the other union members share with you during your border tour?
BUSH: They’re just disappointed in their president. They’re disappointed that the top of the chain of command is not listening to them, is not helping them and, in fact, is making their job harder. … Morale is very low. Recruiting is very hard and challenging, but if there’s one thing that was positive on the trip, they really do appreciate what the governor is doing, what the Texas Department of Public Safety is doing, [DPS Director] Steve McCraw, and us playing a small part on wall construction.
WEX: Why are you challenging Ken Paxton?
BUSH: I think we deserve somebody that’s willing to wake up every single day to fight the federal government and address the challenges that we’re seeing in our state. And look, I consider him a friend. We campaigned throughout the state in 2014 when I ran for land commissioner. I don’t think there’s any question about his conservative credentials, but it’s not conservative to … breach the vow to your spouse, to now be under FBI investigation for bribery and corruption. And we’ll allow law enforcement to pursue those investigations, but I do think it’s a distraction to the day-to-day operations. … When I was down there, the first question I ask is, ”Has the AG reached out to be a support module for you?” I’ve yet to hear a ”yes.” Those are county sheriffs, constables, some district attorneys that we encountered, even DPS. And look, I get it, it’s a tough job, but this requires tough-minded leadership. So, it’s not personal against him by any means. This is just really about the state of Texas. We need the best lawyer that’s going to be effective internally and externally punching up against the Biden administration, punching down against liberal, progressive mayors.
WEX: Let me ask about Donald Trump. It’s interesting to see someone with the last name of Bush so supportive of a wall. What would you say to someone who thinks you’re trying to ride the Trump wave to your advantage?
BUSH: I would say that I’ve been consistently supportive of his ideas and his policies, starting with his first run for president in 2016. … The Trump ideology was good politics, but, as we’re finding out and Americans are finding out every day, also good policy.
His policies were absolutely right on point. I don’t think my uncle [former Gov. George W. Bush] gets as much credit honestly for the wall that he constructed.
WEX: On illegal immigration, how do your views compare to, say, your father or your uncle or Trump?
BUSH: I’d say closer to Trump, but I think Texas Republicans are united on this issue.
WEX: Trump was accused of being racist and that that informed his views on immigration. What are the reasons behind your views on immigration? And what would you say to someone who says, you’re half white, but you’re trying to keep out Mexicans at the border?
BUSH: I’m a unique voice on this issue because I am the son of a legal immigrant, and I think as Americans, it’s OK to cherish and uphold that tradition — that is, the legal, orderly process.
The security issue, combined with our pro-life values, being from a strong Catholic background, have combined to create, I think, one of the biggest, biggest political forces nationally, not just in Texas, that is increasingly — I can’t name names, but visiting with Democrat sheriffs who are conservative, by the way, Democrat district attorneys, Democrat county judges that say, “I’ve never been more embarrassed by the president than I am now. I thought that he would have our back.” Some of them even point back to Obama and said, “At least Obama enforced federal immigration law and would listen to us and come down to the border,” and this and that, and they’re not seeing that right now.
WEX: How do you hope people see you as a Bush? And how do you differ from previous Bushes?
BUSH: When my uncle decided that he was going to run for president in 1998, my grandfather wrote him a note as he prolifically did. … He wanted him to be his own man. He wanted him to have his own ideas and know that the media was going to constantly pit their ideas against one another.
And not that he ever gave me that advice — he did support me for my run, but my grandmother told me that all the time, that I am my own man, she would famously tell me, and I’ve shared this with audiences here in Texas that she never wanted to spoil a grandkid. She never wanted a relative to just show up and run based upon the name. She wanted me — if I were serious about politics, because I asked her in my 20s — to make a name for myself, to do something in my own community, make my own ideas, start a business, marry somebody great, and pay taxes. Voters will trust you if you actually have your own track record. So I obviously, I mean, I love my family. I still call on my uncle’s advice, my dad’s advice. They’re helping me in this campaign.
WEX: You’re 45 years old. Do you maybe do a term as attorney general, then run for governor or senator, then on to Washington to run for president? What are your long-term political goals?
BUSH: There are no term limits in Texas, but I am, as always, committed to voters to limiting myself to two terms. … I want to immediately go to the Capitol and work on some incredible challenges that the agency faces. We need to restore authority, and that’s going to require my full energy for four years. Beyond that, I’d like to see somebody like a Trump, I’d like to see somebody who’s strong on the border, taking care of Texas, to be the next president.
WEX: What has Joe Biden done well as president?
BUSH: Getting elected, I mean, he was good at getting elected, right?
WEX: Where do you think he has underperformed?
BUSH: Being pulled way to the left. If you look at that voting record, it was a little bit closer to the middle, and that’s what he presented, at least in Texas, where we saw some of the gains that we lost from the first Trump go-around in suburban Texas because he fooled Texas voters and American voters to thinking that he was closer to the middle when he’s not. And it’s been dangerous.
WEX: What are your thoughts on the next three years that Biden is president?
BUSH: I have different theories about how it looks and how it plays out. I’m not sure that he has many of the cognitive abilities to last for the next three years. … I think America needs a strong leader that is physically capable of doing that job. What’s scary about what’s behind him is Kamala.
WEX: Who are you interested in supporting in 2024, when a number of Republicans will fight for the presidential nomination?
BUSH: No name-dropping at this time. There’s the usual suspects, and some Texans will be in there, I suspect. A lot of Floridians. … I just want somebody that’s going to beat the Democrats — somebody that’s going to promote limited government, free-market ideas, contain spending, secure our border, provide an international voice that’s strong on protecting freedom, confronting the Chinese national security threat, somebody who’s strong against Putin, I mean, it’s almost like basics. That’s what I’m looking for. The good news is that there’s a lot of candidates out there that I think fit that description pretty well.
WEX: Tell me about your two sons and family life.
BUSH: Mandy and I met in law school, so we’re true partners. True equals. She actually resisted the idea of dating during law school. She was really focused, and finally, I wore her down by the third year of law school, and we’ve been married now for 18 years. She’s my true partner. I couldn’t do half of what I do without her, including a day like today, where I’m not home to take care of the boys. My boys are 8 and 6 now. Prescott was born in the middle of the campaign, so he’s been exposed to it and he’s kind of used to campaigns and the different speeds of life in politics. Tomorrow, we’re going to take him to the Alamo for the unveiling of the South Gate, which he’s super excited about. He loves military history. So, that’s almost the best place to take him. Jack is 6. He’s more of a free-wheeling character. He’s an excellent dancer. He’s truly gifted. And especially in my family. He’s got some artistic talents. So, he’s starting dance classes right now, and he is in hip hop.
WEX: How do you balance your work with family?
BUSH: I’m usually the one waking the boys up at approximately 6:30, get them dressed, brush their teeth, brush their hair, make sure they look presentable to the outside world. And then, Mom will cook, and then we get them out the door, hopefully by 7:15. And those 45 minutes are very important to me. But also when the boys get dropped off at 3:30 to 7:30 — in that four-hour time frame, it’s important to make sure that we’re either doing things outside, enjoying the outdoors, or doing something educational. I try to limit screen time. I think that’s a struggle that any parent has.
Anna Giaritelli is the homeland security reporter for the Washington Examiner.
