Out of sight, George W. Bush fights for a GOP Senate
George W. Bush has kept a low public profile since a February blink-and-you-missed-it stint on the campaign trail for his brother Jeb. The former president skipped the GOP convention in July and has kept his sharp criticisms of the party’s nominee, Donald Trump, limited to speeches to private audiences.
But in a case of what might be called split-ticket campaigning, George W. Bush has been working mostly behind the scenes on a project that GOP leaders consider a top priority: keeping the Senate in Republican hands.
The former president headlined an event for Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire in May in his hometown of Dallas, the first of eight fundraisers he has done to date, according to a source familiar with his efforts. He appeared at others for Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri in St. Louis in June; Sen. John McCain of Arizona in Dallas in June; and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio in Cincinnati and Columbus in August. That same month, Bush attended a fundraiser organized by Texas Sen. John Cornyn to help Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, as well as Joe Heck and Todd Young, who are Senate candidates in Nevada and Indiana, respectively. On Sept. 12, Bush held fundraisers for Young in Elkhart and Indianapolis.
Bush has at least six more events coming up. He’ll raise money with Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for the Republicans’ Senate Leadership Fund at an upcoming event in Dallas, and for the National Republican Senate Committee in Washington, D.C. In October, Bush will headline fundraisers for Heck in Nevada, Rubio in Florida, Sen. Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, and Sen. Richard Burr in North Carolina.
The former president’s schedule includes a blend of vulnerable incumbents such as Ayotte; promising challengers including Heck, who is vying for retiring Democratic Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid’s seat; and longtime friends like Portman, who worked for Bush as U.S. trade representative and budget director.
The Republicans’ keep-the-Senate effort can certainly use the help. Twenty-four GOP senators are defending their seats, against just 10 Democrats having to do so, six years after the Tea Party-infused 2010 midterm elections. President Barack Obama’s party needs to flip just four seats to control the chamber if Hillary Clinton wins. (Tim Kaine, as vice president, would break a 50-50 tie.) GOP strategists worry that Trump could be a drag on Republican candidates in toss-up states.
The 43rd president left office deeply unpopular, weighed down by the war in Iraq and the collapse of the global economy. In 2008, GOP presidential nominee John McCain campaigned with him as little as possible. In 2012, Bush did not attend the Republican nominating convention in Tampa, and participated in the gathering briefly by video.
But his popularity has risen, and he rates in the high 40s in polls taken late last year and in early 2016. He remains a draw with conservative voters, including evangelicals.
Still, Portman’s Democratic rival, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, has tried to use the Bush endorsement to his own ends. Strickland’s attacks have come on two fronts. First, Strickland has pointed to Portman’s work as commerce secretary to advance global trade. Second, he has noted that Portman has endorsed Trump while Bush has criticized the self-described billionaire. Both Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, are among the Republican holdouts refusing to rally behind their own party’s nominee.
“Today is another reminder that Sen. Portman’s full-throated endorsement of Donald Trump puts him out of step with Republicans like President Bush,” Strickland campaign spokesman David Bergstein said in a statement in early August.
“We welcome President Bush to come to Ohio anytime because it’s the perfect opportunity to discuss Portman’s record in the Bush White House: As Bush’s trade czar, Portman was the champion for unfair trade deals that cost Ohio hundreds of thousands of jobs,” Bergstein added.
Portman’s campaign declined to comment. But those attacks don’t appear to have slowed down the Republican. He currently leads Strickland by 10 points in a RealClearPolitics average of polls. In a new poll out Wednesday, Portman led by a dominating 17 points.
Correction: This post initially identified Portman as Bush’s former commerce secretary instead of U.S. trade representative.
