Politics

George W. Bush tiptoes into 2014 elections

By Jake Miller

January 31, 2014 / 11:57 AM EST / CBS News

Former President George W. Bush has largely been a political recluse since departing the White House in 2009, but he has donated to several Republican candidates in the upcoming 2014 midterm elections, according to public records archived by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Still, his spokesman tells Yahoo News that Mr. Bush won’t be wading too deeply into the political thicket any time soon.

“He’s still interested in following politics, but still quite happy to be out of it at this point,” Bush spokesman Freddy Ford said. “I don’t think he’s technically made any ‘endorsements,’ and he doesn’t currently have any plans at all for any campaign involvement outside of a contribution here and there.”

Among the beneficiaries of Mr. Bush’s largesse: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who tweeted an old picture of him and Mr. Bush, along with a picture of a form reflecting the former president’s donation of $5,000 to his reelection campaign.

Proud to have President George W. Bush's support for my re-election campaign. #tbt #throwbackthursday pic.twitter.com/jVnAKzJacQ
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 30, 2014

Graham, a defense hawk who backed Mr. Bush’s national security policies to the hilt during his presidency, is facing a host of primary challengers in South Carolina who believe the senator is out of step with the GOP base. The tweet could help shore up his standing among conservatives in the state.

Ford said Mr. Bush was “pleased” to donate to Graham.

Others who received campaign donations from the former president included Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., an Iraq war veteran seeking to oust vulnerable Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, Mr. Bush’s hometown congressman.

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