DALLAS — Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, on the verge of challenging incumbent Ken Paxton in the GOP primary for attorney general, has discussed his political options with former President Donald Trump.
“We talked about the importance of putting the right team on field, because the Democrats are targeting our state,” Bush on Monday told The Dallas Morning News. “We talked about my race and the vision that I have for the state of Texas.”
Bush has invited supporters to a campaign kickoff rally on June 2, but he hasn’t specified the office he’s seeking. He said Monday that he’s waiting until the Texas lawmakers conclude their legislative session before launching his campaign. Though his options include running for reelection, Bush is expected to challenge Paxton, the embattled two-term incumbent who is under federal investigated on bribery allegations.
Once considered the future of the Texas Republican Party, Bush has said he’s considering running against Paxton because of the incumbent’s ethical questions. Paxton is also under indictment for securities fraud.
“As you know I’ve been taking a very close look at the Attorney General’s office,” Bush said. “Texans need to take a deeper look at who we nominate in our party.”
Last week Paxton told Dallas conservative radio talk show host Mark Davis that Bush wanted to use the attorney general’s office as a stepping stone for a run for the White House.
“He’s kind of got this mentality that he’s going to be president someday and he’s got to get started,” Paxton said of Bush. “I know for a fact that he’s told people that he was either going to run for governor, lieutenant governor or against me.”
Paxton then claimed Bush decided against challenging Gov. Greg Abbott or Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, both Republicans, because they have too much cash in their campaign coffers.
On Monday Bush joined former North Texas District 32 congressional candidate Genevieve Collins for a panel discussion about opposition to President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan. The lunch, at the Park City Club, was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity. Collins is the conservative group’s Texas director.
Bush did not mention Paxton or his plans during the forum, though at the end he did say he’ll be on the 2022 ballot.
The land commissioner is the nephew of former president George W. Bush and the son of former Florida governor and 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush, who was vanquished by Trump in a bitter primary battle.
Trump’s backing could be critical in the primary for attorney general. The former president has praised Paxton for filing a lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results in several battleground states. The lawsuit, criticized as lacking merit and promoting the false narrative that the election was stolen from Trump, was tossed aside.
“You know, he’s going to keep an eye on it,” Bush said of his potential race against Paxton. “He’s keeping an eye on all these races.”
Bush said Trump asked him about the District 6 Congressional race in North Texas to fill the unexpired term of Ron Wright, who died in February after contracting COVID-19. He was also battling cancer.
Wright’s widow, Republican Susan Wright of Arlington, has the backing of Trump in her runoff against state Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie.
“Similar to my uncle, he’s a caged political beast watching all the different races,” Bush said of Trump.
Bush said his attorney general campaign platform would include using technology to make the office more efficient, putting more resources into the fight against human trafficking and bolstering the investigations unit.
“I’m looking to make a big announcement,” Bush said.
