Barbara Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, donated to a political action committee that supports state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate for Texas, according to campaign finance records.
The 2026 third quarter report to the Federal Election Commission for Lone Star Rising PAC shows a donation from the younger Barbara Bush in the amount of $2,500, dated Sept. 23.
"I would imagine that somebody in such a prominent political family, if she wanted to ensure that her contribution was anonymous or not visible, that any number of lawyers that they probably have at their disposal could have told her how," said Andrew Cates, a political attorney and campaign finance expert based in central Texas. "She didn’t give it to a [501] (c)(4), in which her contribution would have been completely anonymous. She gave it to a PAC that reports all the money in and out."
The Bush family did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cates said that $2,500 is a drop in the bucket for a campaign that has seen hundreds of millions of dollars raised, but it does have potential symbolic importance.
"It’s not like Elon Musk money, obviously," Cates said, "but it is it is interesting and maybe potentially a little bit telling on where the center GOP establishment is leaning and where they feel like the race is headed."
Most polling shows the contest between Talarico and his Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton to be either statistically tied or with a slight lead for Talarico.
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