Bush defies predictions of dynasty’s end
But local officials rip into land commissioner in dispute over federal disaster relief funds
AUSTIN — The end of the Bush dynasty.
That’s how some pundits were predicting this week’s primary would end for Land Commissioner George P. Bush, after facing intense competition from his predecessor Jerry Patterson in the fight for the Texas General Land Office. They were wrong. Bush comfortably won the Republican primary, easily fending off Patterson and two other candidates in an unusually competitive race for the Texas General Land Office.
While the race was focused on the management of one of the state’s relatively unknown agencies, it also served as a litmus test for how much support the scion of the Bush political family and son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush could get in Texas at a time when President Donald Trump remains widely popular among Republicans.
Political experts in Texas say even though Bush did not run a conventional campaign with forums and public events, he was still able to clinch the nomination because he was armed with an endorsement from Trump.
“The rumors of the political death of George P. Bush have been greatly exaggerated,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political scientist at the University of Houston. “It’s clear he was able to execute a strategy that worked.”
While the dynasty remained, so did the constant political attacks on Bush from Democrats and others in Houston upset over his handling of Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.
Mayor Sylvester Turner put him back on the hot seat Wednesday, saying Bush’s General Land Office has improperly frozen city officials out of talks on billions in Hurricane Harvey recovery funding.
Turner said federal rules tied to $5 billion in disaster relief funding for Texas that Congress approved last fall require the General Land Office to consult with local officials in drafting a plan for the use of those dollars, which originate with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Turner: GLO ‘hogging’ cash
Bush and his office have not done so, the mayor said.
“I’m disappointed with GLO with how long this process is taking. I’m also concerned about the level of consultation and collaboration we have seen — or have not seen,” Turner told council members at their regular weekly meeting. “How can you put together an action plan when the city of Houston is not at the table?”
Council members generally joined the mayor in expressing frustration with the recovery process, though Councilwoman Brenda Stardig at one point pushed back, seeking clarity on why the mayor initiated the discussion in the first place.
“If this is what it’s about, calling out George P. Bush, to make sure we get his attention, that’s one thing,” Stardig said. “To just say, ‘Woe is us, we’re not getting the money,’ I can’t buy into that. I need to know what the action plan is.”
The mayor’s response was blunt.
“What we’re saying is that GLO is not being a good partner. What we’re saying is that GLO is hogging the $5 billion,” he said. “What we’re saying is that GLO is not consulting with the city of Houston.”
Bush won the Republican nomination with 58 percent of the vote — and he carried more than 53 percent of the vote in Harris County, despite his detractors over Harvey. His predecessor and most outspoken opponent, Patterson, garnered less than a third of votes. Former teacher Rick Range and land surveyor Davey Edwards each had less than 7 percent.
In the months leading up to Tuesday’s primary, Bush spent much of his time out of the public eye. He rarely held public campaign events. He rarely gave interviews to the media. He never showed up to forums and debates with his three competitors.
But he spent thousands on online ads, selling the message that he is a staunch conservative who has managed the “most effective” land office in the history of Texas. He also touted his early support for Trump.
After his victory, Bush admitted he ran a “unconventional campaign” but said he was focused on his job as Land Commissioner.
“I took it to social media,” Bush told a group of reporters. “I relied on my track record. It was important to go into homes in the wake of Harvey, rather than soapboxing in front of the media.”
Bush did not say Tuesday whether he planned to change his strategy as he looks toward November’s election where he will face off against Democratic opponent Miguel Suazo, an energy lawyer.
Rottinghaus and others don’t believe anything will change — nor should it.
“All Bush needs to do between now and November is simply not commit some epic gaffe, and simply ride the Republican coat tails into office again,” said Rice University political scientist Mark P. Jones. Trump factor
Perhaps the most important key to Bush’s win was Trump’s endorsement.
“Texas LC George P. Bush backed me when it wasn’t the politically correct thing to do, and I back him now,” Trump wrote in a tweet last week in which he also endorsed other GOP candidates.
The endorsement was especially important to Bush, whose name carries a storied past of moderate views and “establishment” politics.
“It’s reasonable to think he would have been forced into a runoff absent the Trump endorsement,” Jones said.
Rottinghaus agreed, saying, “When I saw he won, I thought the number one reason was Donald Trump. Trump’s tweet was the icing on the cake. The Republicans paying attention to what Trump says are likely primary voters in Texas. It gave (Bush) that extra push.”
Still, to some Republicans, Bush’s embrace of Trump was confounding given that Trump publicly mocked Bush’s father Jeb when the two were vying for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, calling him “a loser” and a “pathetic person” during the campaign.
But on Tuesday, Jeb Bush told reporters that he was grateful Trump endorsed his son.
Jeb Bush tried to close out his exchange with reporters by noting he was in Austin to celebrate his son’s victory “as a dad.” But he was again pressed to respond to George P. Bush’s embrace of Trump amid the personal attacks on his family.
Jeb Bush said he had no reason to “be in an argument about this.”
“I’m grateful for President Trump endorsing my son. And I’m very proud of him,” he said. “Whatever disputes I have with the president will remain quietly in my head today.”