Neil Bush, the brother of former President George W. Bush, posted on Facebook that he voted for far-left Democrat James Talarico in the Texas Senate race.

Bush, who holds a number of business interests in China, said of Talarico, “I have been enormously impressed by the way he approaches complicated and controversial issues.” Neil is the latest member of the Bush family to publicly support Talarico over Republican Ken Paxton.

“My vote was motivated by two things: deep concern about Ken Paxton’s record and genuine admiration for the character and principles I see in James Talarico,” Bush said in the post, claiming President Donald Trump and those who have “enabled him” have “done enormous damage to the Republican Party.” He also said he disagreed with Paxton’s concerns over the conduct of the 2020 election.

Bush also said of Talarico, “His faith appears to be a deeply rooted source of humility, compassion, and conviction.” In earlier reporting by Breitbart News, Talarico’s church in Austin is led by Rev. Jim Rigby, who said he welcomes atheists to join his church and, “If you hate religion, we’re on the same team.” 

Talarico called Rigby “my pastor in every sense of the word,” adding he was one of “the biggest influences on me as a Christian, as a human being.” In another report, Rigby questioned whether Jesus actually rose from the dead in an Easter sermon.

Neil Bush is most famous for being sued by the FDIC and federal regulators for “gross negligence” following the collapse of Silverado, a Denver-based savings and loan association, in which he ultimately paid a hefty fine.

The admission that the long-time Republican voted for Talarico is the second recent announcement from the Bush family in support of the Democrat.

Barbara Bush, the daughter of the 43rd President, donated to a super PAC supporting Talarico; in 2024 she had campaigned in support of failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

As for the former President, George W. Bush headlined a fundraiser in support of several Republicans running for the U.S. Senate including Sens. Susan Collins, Jon Husted, Dan Sullivan, and challengers in open seats — Ashley Hinson, Mike Rogers, John Sununu, and Michele Tafoya. Paxton was notably not one of the beneficiaries of Bush’s support.

Paxton defeated George P. Bush, the nephew of Neil, in the May 2022 GOP primary runoff for Attorney General by a substantial margin, with 68 percent to Bush’s 32 percent.

Follow Matt Mercer on X: @mattmercer.