The Bush family, whose disastrous neocon foreign policy dragged America into endless Middle East wars costing trillions of dollars and countless American lives, is plotting a political comeback.
Jonathan S. Bush — cousin of George W. Bush and nephew of George H. W. Bush — is testing a run for Maine governor, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Establishment Fundraiser in Kennebunkport
Bush, a former health care executive, launched an exploratory nonprofit called Maine for Keeps to address the state’s economic and housing woes. Last week, George W. Bush and Jeb Bush hosted a private fundraiser for him in Kennebunkport — a move critics warn could alienate Maine’s rural working-class voters.
Colby College professor Dan Shea told Newsweek the optics of raising money in Kennebunkport “don’t play particularly well to much of rural Maine,” calling the wealthy enclave “very different” from the rest of the state.
“Anti-MAGA” Politics
Experts say Bush’s brand is out of step with today’s GOP base. Brandon Rottinghouse, a political science professor at the University of Houston, described Bush-style politics as “like the anti-MAGA,” adding that modern Republicans now demand a more aggressive brand of conservatism.
Even in Maine, where some Republicans still hold “fond memories” of the Bush family, analysts admit the party is split down the middle between Trump-style populists and establishment moderates.
Bad Blood With Trump
Jonathan Bush’s ambitions risk reopening the long-running feud between the Bush dynasty and Donald Trump. In 2016, Trump humiliated Jeb Bush on the debate stage, repeatedly hammering the family’s record on the Iraq War, the financial crisis, and globalist policies.
George W. Bush reportedly dismissed Trump as a “blowhard” and spent years subtly undermining his presidency, even as Trump’s America First agenda won over millions of voters the Bush family had abandoned.
With Maine Republicans energized by Trump’s populist movement, Jonathan Bush’s bid may prove another long shot — and a reminder that the Bush dynasty is still desperate to claw back relevance.
