Jeb Bush declared himself ‘Hispanic’ on voter registration form
A report has emerged that rumoured Presidential candidate Jeb Bush identified himself as ‘Hispanic’ on a voter registration form.
The Republican – the younger brother of former President George W Bush and the second son of George H W Bush – is thought to be one of the front-runners for the party’s nomination in 2016.
The New York Times today published a copy of Mr Bush’s registration form from 2009, when the Florida politician identified his ethnicity as ‘Hispanic’.
The move has raised eyebrows, with the Bush family political dynasty tracing its heritage back to early American settlers – and not to the Spanish-speaking world.
Mr Bush speaks fluent Spanish, and his wife Columba Bush was born in Mexico – but a Jeb Bush spokesperson could offer “no explanation” for the discrepancy.
The potential gaffe comes after Mr Bush gave a baffling, incomprehensible answer when questioned about Indiana’s ‘religious freedom’ law.
Mr Bush was once seen as more moderate voice on LGBT rights compared to most of the potential 2016 Republican candidates.
However, while working to shore up support in recent months he has affirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage – and hired anti-gay activist Jordan Sekulow, who lobbied African countries into maintaining homophobic laws.
