The Latino vote has become increasingly important in US politics - but one probable candidate seems to have really gone the extra mile to identify with that crucial voting bloc: Republican Jeb Bush marked himself down as Hispanic on a 2009 Florida voter-registration form, it emerged on Monday.
In his defense, the bubble for “Hispanic” was right next to the bubble for “White, not Hispanic”.
Bush, the second son of former president George HW Bush and Barbara Bush née Pierce, is white, not Hispanic. He does speak fluent Spanish and is married to a Mexican-American woman, Columba Bush, whom he met as a teenage English teacher in Guanajuato. Former president George W Bush is his brother.
Bush submitted the form - obtained by the New York Times - two years after the conclusion of his eight years as governor of Florida. A Bush spokesperson contacted by the Times had no explanation for the bubble bobble, but Bush apologized for the “mistake” on Twitter on Monday. “My mistake!,” he wrote. “Don’t think I’ve fooled anyone!”
My mistake! Don’t think I’ve fooled anyone! RT @JebBushJr LOL - come on dad, think you checked the wrong box #HonoraryLatino
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) April 6, 2015
All other information on the document, stamped 6 March 2009, appears to be accurate. Bush indicates that he is a male member of the Republican party. For “Are you interested in being a poll worker?” he put No.
The form would have allowed Bush to register to vote. Florida polling places request a photo identification from voters who are then checked off polling lists. Voters without photo IDs may cast provisional ballots to be cross-checked against elections records and counted later.
Bush crushed with Hispanic voters when he was first elected governor of Florida in 1998, beating his opponent 61%-38% in a race he won 55%-45%. Comparable figures aren’t available for his 2002 re-election because the exit polling system in Florida broke down that year.
Should Bush make it to a general election for president of the United States – he has been making preparations to run but has not declared a run – identifying with Hispanic and Latino voters would be important, if not essential.
Hispanics are projected to account for about 10% of actual voters in 2016. The failure of 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to win a bigger share of that bloc – Barack Obama beat him 71%-27% among Hispanics – was identified as a key factor in his loss. A better performance among Hispanics could have given Romney Florida’s 29 electoral points. He lost the election by 126 electoral points.
