George W. Bush to attend Jeb fundraiser

Former President George W. Bush will appear at a fundraiser for his brother, 2016 hopeful Jeb Bush, in Dallas on Wednesday, making his fundraising debut in the 2016 cycle.

The Dallas Morning News reports that President Bush and his wife, Laura, will attend the fundraising reception for Jeb Bush’s Right to Rise super-PAC. The fundraiser, at the home of a wealthy Dallas banker, asks donors to pledge up to $100,000 per couple, according to the report.

{mosads}The guest list includes oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and former Rep. Tom Loeffler (R-Texas), and the event includes a special reception for large donors.

The Morning News also reports that the invitation includes instructions on how donors to a potential campaign can become so-called bundlers, people who coordinate donations from a large group of contributors.

George W. Bush did not play an integral role in either of the past two Republican presidential campaigns, staying out of the spotlight during the campaigns of Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2008 and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012.

But his favorability ratings have improved since he left office. In 2013, more people held a positive image of Bush than a negative one in Gallup’s polling for the first time since 2005. 

It’s unclear how big of a role he’d play if his brother decides to run. The former president has been vocally supportive of the potential bid. But former first lady Laura Bush told CNN’s “New Day” earlier this month that Jeb isn’t actively asking his brother for advice. 

Democrats, though, have tried to tie Jeb Bush to the policies of his brother and father, George H.W. Bush, also a former president.

Jeb Bush responded to those critics in a speech last month, saying he was “lucky” to be related to two influential leaders, but insisting he was his “own man.”

“My views are shaped by my own thinking and own experiences,” Bush said.