This coming election day, George H. W. Bush could be casting his ballot for Hillary Clinton.
Though the elder Bush hasn’t publicly endorsed either of the candidates, Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend posted a photo to Facebook that suggests the former Republican president will be voting Democrat this year. The picture shows the two posing together with the caption, “The President told me he’s voting for Hillary!!” When later asked to confirm her comment, Townsend told Politico, “That’s what he said.”
“The vote President Bush will cast as a private citizen in some 50 days will be just that: a private vote cast in some 50 days,” Jim McGrath, a spokesperson for the 41st president, told Coins2Day. “He is not commenting on the presidential race in the interim.” Additionally, he tweeted that Townsend’s claim had not been verified.
Those reporting how @GeorgeHWBush will vote this year, it's not clear anyone was there to verify KKT. Still checking, keep your powder dry.
— Jim McGrath (@jgm41) September 20, 2016
The political family has avoided getting involved in the current presidential race since Jeb Bush suspended his campaign. George W. Bush has returned to the political sphere to focus on keeping the Senate in Republican hands, but none of them have endorsed either of the remaining presidential candidates (though some have speculated that Laura Bush may support Clinton), and they did not attend the Republican National Convention to see Donald Trump accept the nomination.
One of Jeb Bush’s advisors, who has worked with the family for decades, has switched her registry from Republican to unaffiliated and plans to vote for Clinton. Though Trump has gained additional support from his party since accepting the nomination, a handful of prominent Republicans have said they refuse to vote for him.