Former President George W. Bush plans to headline a fundraiser later this month on behalf of Senators Martha McSally (R-AZ), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Susan Collins (R-ME), four incumbents who have found themselves in highly competitive Senate races.
The event, which will be hosted on June 30 by the Republican Senatorial Committee, will grant attendees who contribute $2,800 the option to attend a virtual event, according to The Washington Post. Any donors who contribute at least $25,000 can also attend a roundtable discussion.
Back in late March, FiveThirtyEight ranked each of the Senators’ races as some of the most competitive, noting that each was a “toss-up,” with the exception of the Maine Senate race, which the polling analysis website observed was a “toss-up/likely” Republican seat.
Bush’s decision to headline a fundraiser comes as he’s been seemingly taking a more active role in public life, compared to his relative silence after leaving office. In the last few months, the former president has addressed the nation about coronavirus — in a video message encouraging compassion and unity — and spoken out against “systemic racism” after the death of George Floyd.
“It remains a shocking failure that many African Americans, especially young African American men, are harassed and threatened in their own country. It is a strength when protesters, protected by responsible law enforcement, march for a better future,” said the former president.
Bush also added: “This tragedy — in a long series of similar tragedies — raises a long overdue question: How do we end systemic racism in our society? The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving. Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America — or how it becomes a better place.”
The New York Times recently reported that Bush would not vote for Trump in the upcoming presidential election, nor would his younger brother Jeb, citing “people familiar with their thinking.” However, this was disputed by Freddy Ford, George W. Bush’s spokesperson, who called the Times’ assertion “completely made up.”
While the former Republican president hasn’t waded into the presidential race, former President Barack Obama is moving full speed ahead on former Vice President Joe Biden’s prospects. According to Axios, Trump’s predecessor plans to hold a fundraiser on behalf of Biden on June 23, and “tens of thousands of small-dollar donors” have reportedly been invited, or will be invited to the virtual event.
As The Washington Post notes, Obama’s fundraiser is expected to outperform the single-night haul touted by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who raised $6 million on Monday night to stop President Trump and send presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden to the White House.
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