Bushes start high and lose their first races




 

 

In the fourth generation, George P. Bush may be the first to break the Bush Dynasty’s pattern of losing their first election.

If, as expected, P. – for Prescott – could actually be elected Texas Land Commissioner on his first try for public office. He’s a Republican in what’s considered a reliably Republican state.

His opponents Nov. 4 are Democrat John Cook, a former mayor of El Paso; Libertarian Justin Knight; and the Green Party’s Valerie Alessi.

All the previous Bush politicians won their first election on their second try.

The first Bush was George P.’s great-grandfather and source of his middle name, Prescott Sheldon Bush. He was elected a United States senator from Connecticut in 1952.

But Prescott, at age 55, had lost his first try for the Senate in 1950, falling 1,102 votes short of unseating incumbent Democrat William Burnett Benton.

Prescott was re-elected to a full term in 1956, and did not seek re-election in 1962.

Prescott’s second-eldest son, George H. W. Bush, first tried for elective office in 1964, against progressive Democratic U.S. Sen. Ralph W. Yarborough. Bush was 40.

George H. W. won the Republican nomination in a runoff, but happened to take on Yarborough the year after Democrat Lyndon Johnson had succeeded President John F. Kennedy upon his assassination.

Johnson’s landslide election victory in 1964 had extensive coattails, and H.W. lost to Yarborough.

George H.W. rebounded in 1966, however, when court-ordered redistricting to make districts equal in population created a Republican friendly Harris County congressional district. He beat Democratic Harris County District Attorney Frank Briscoe to go the U.S. House of Representatives.

He was easily re-elected in 1968, and then decided to contest Yarborough again in the 1970 U.S. Senate race.

But so did moderate-conservative Democratic former Congressman Lloyd Bentsen, who LBJ had dissuaded from challenging Yarborough in 1964. Bentsen won the primary, and then beat Bush in November.

Bush’s third loss came in 1980, to Ronald Reagan for the Republican presidential nomination. But he got the consolation prize of the vice-presidency from Reagan. After eight years in that job, he was elected to succeed Reagan in 1988.

Loss number four, however, came four years later. Democrat Bill Clinton – with the help of Independent candidate Ross Perot – unseated George H. W. in 1992.

George P.’s Uncle George W. Bush made his first race in 1978, for a vacant congressional Midland-to-Lubbock congressional seat, at the age of 32.

Although he won the GOP nomination, and carried Midland in the general election, he lost 53-46 to state Sen. Kent Hance of Lubbock, who joked about George W.’s Yankee heritage.

In 1994, W. — then 48 — upset popular Democratic Texas Gov. Ann Richards. In 1998, he was re-elected with 68 percent over Democratic Land Commissioner Garry Mauro’s 31 percent. W. became the first Texas governor to win a second consecutive four-year term.

W. was narrowly declared president of the United States by the Supreme Court in 2000, and then more convincingly re-elected in 2004.

George P.’s father, John Ellis “Jeb” Bush, younger brother to George W., also challenged an incumbent Democratic governor in 1994: former U.S. Sen. Lawton Chiles. But Jeb, then 41, didn’t share his older brother’s good fortune, and lost, 51-49.

However, he never quit running. In 1998, he beat Democratic Lt. Gov. Buddy Mackay to win the first of two terms as governor – the first Republican to serve two terms as governor of Florida.

Jeb is often mentioned lately as a compromise possibility for the Republican nomination for president in 2016. George P. says his dad probably will decide by year’s end whether to do so.

Jeb, incidentally, actually succeeded Mackay as governor. After losing the November general election, Gov. Chiles died suddenly on Dec. 12, 1998, and Mackay succeeded him – for 23 days.

George P., 38, had announced his interest in statewide office in late 2012. A lawyer, he considered attorney general, and comptroller, but apparently decided there’d be less competition for land commissioner.

He was right. He had token opposition in the GOP primary from David Watts, whom he outpolled 73 percent to 27 percent.

Notice that none of these Bushes wasted their time and donors’ money by starting their political pursuit below the level of congress or statewide office. No state legislative seat or anything else has been high enough up the political food chain.

For what it’s worth, the last four land commissioners have sought higher office upon leaving:

Democrat Bob Armstrong, 1982, governor. Lost.

Democrat Garry Mauro, 1998, governor. Lost.

Republican David Dewhurst, 2002, lieutenant governor. Won.

Republican Jerry Patterson, 2014, lieutenant governor. Lost.

Contact McNeely at davemcneely111@gmail.com or (512) 458-2963.


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