Former President George W. Bush is helping a handful of vulnerable Republican senators up for re-election in November, including Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), according to a New York Times report.
Bush has headlined fundraisers for McCain and Ayotte in the past few weeks and plans on helping Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) as well, the New York Times reported.
“President Bush believes that it’s critical to keep the Senate in Republican hands,” Freddy Ford, a spokesman for Bush, told the Times. “He is actively helping some senators in tight races who are strong leaders and share timeless conservative values.”
A spokesperson for the former president said last month that he does not plan on endorsing Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. And the New York Times reported that Bush is not happy with Trump:
Friends say that the former president is deeply bothered by Mr. Trump’s campaign message, especially his derogatory remarks about Muslims and immigrants. At the event with Mr. McCain, Mr. Bush stressed the importance of preserving the Republican-held Senate as a “check and balance” on the White House, suggesting that such a check was needed, whether the next president is Mr. Trump or Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
