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George W. Bush’s daughter Barbara Bush endorses Kamala Harris in US election

She also campaigned for the Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state in the US presidential race against Donald Trump

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Barbara Bush attends the unveiling of her father, former US president George W. Bush’s official portrait in the East Room of the White House in May 2012. Photo: AFP

Barbara Bush, one of Republican former US president George W. Bush’s daughters, has endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris in the razor-thin White House race and campaigned for her over the weekend, she told People magazine.

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Bush, 42, spent part of the weekend knocking on doors for the US vice-president’s campaign in Pennsylvania, considered one of the most crucial swing states that will decide the November election between Harris and Republican Donald Trump.

“It was inspiring to join friends and meet voters with the Harris-Walz campaign in Pennsylvania this weekend,” she told People. “I’m hopeful they’ll move our country forward and protect women’s rights.”

Bush has been described as an independent, but her family is of course Republican royalty – her late grandfather George H.W. Bush also served as president.

A small but vocal group of prominent Republicans, turned off by Trump’s extreme rhetoric on subjects ranging from abortion to migration and democracy, has endorsed Harris.

Barbara Bush (right), with her parents US President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, are seen at the National Aquatics Centre during the Beijing Olympics in August 2008. Photo: AFP
Barbara Bush (right), with her parents US President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, are seen at the National Aquatics Centre during the Beijing Olympics in August 2008. Photo: AFP

George W. Bush – who was in the Oval Office from 2001 to 2009 – has so far refused to endorse a candidate in 2024, and has remained tight-lipped on politics throughout much of his post-presidency.

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