George H. W. Bush

== Early political career (1963–1971) ==
=== Entry into politics ===
[[File:George Herbert Walker Bush and Eisenhower 1.jpg|thumb|left|Former president [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] with Bush]]

By the early 1960s, Bush was widely regarded as an appealing political candidate, and some leading [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] attempted to convince Bush to become a Democrat. He declined to leave the Republican Party, later citing his belief that the national Democratic Party favored "big, centralized government". The Democratic Party had historically dominated Texas, but Republicans scored their first major victory in the state with [[John G. Tower]]'s victory in a 1961 special election to the United States Senate. Motivated by Tower's victory and hoping to prevent the far-right [[John Birch Society]] from coming to power, Bush ran for the chairmanship of the [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]] Republican Party, winning election in February 1963.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=112–114}} Like most other Texas Republicans, Bush supported conservative Senator [[Barry Goldwater]] over the more centrist [[Nelson Rockefeller]] in the [[1964 Republican Party presidential primaries]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=116–117}}

In 1964, Bush sought to unseat liberal Democrat [[Ralph W. Yarborough]] in Texas's [[1964 United States Senate election in Texas|U.S. Senate election]].{{sfn|Naftali|2007|p=13}} Bolstered by superior fundraising, Bush won the Republican primary by defeating former gubernatorial nominee [[Jack Cox (Texas politician)|Jack Cox]] in a [[run-off election]]. In the general election, Bush attacked Yarborough's vote for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], which banned racial and gender discrimination in public institutions and many privately owned businesses. Bush argued that the act unconstitutionally expanded the federal government's powers, but he was privately uncomfortable with the racial politics of opposing the act.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=120–122}} He lost the election 56 percent to 44 percent, though he did run well ahead of Barry Goldwater, the Republican presidential nominee.{{sfn|Naftali|2007|p=13}} Despite the loss, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that Bush was "rated by political friend and foe alike as the Republicans' best prospect in Texas because of his attractive personal qualities and the strong campaign he put up for the Senate".{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=133}}

=== U.S. House of Representatives ===
[[File:George H. W. Bush 91st Congress.jpg|thumb|upright|Bush in 1969]]

In [[1966 United States House of Representatives elections|1966]], Bush ran for the [[United States House of Representatives]] in [[Texas's 7th congressional district]], a newly redistricted seat in the [[Greater Houston]] area. Initial polling showed him trailing his Democratic opponent, Harris County District Attorney Frank Briscoe, but he ultimately won the race with 57 percent of the vote.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=130–132}} To woo potential candidates in the South and Southwest, House Republicans secured Bush an appointment to the powerful [[United States House Committee on Ways and Means]], making Bush the first freshman to serve on the committee since 1904.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=133–134}} His voting record in the House was generally [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]]. He supported the [[Presidency of Richard Nixon|Nixon administration]]'s [[Vietnamization|Vietnam policies]] but broke with Republicans on the issue of [[birth control]], which he supported. He also voted for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]], although it was generally unpopular in his district.<ref name="ea">{{cite web |url=http://198.181.165.52/article?assetid=0068080-00&templatename=/article/article.html |title=Bush, George Herbert Walker |access-date=March 29, 2008 |publisher=Scholastic Library Publishing, Inc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615195838/http://198.181.165.52/article?assetid=0068080-00&templatename=%2Farticle%2Farticle.html |archive-date=June 15, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=House – August 16, 1967|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=113|issue=17|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=22778|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1967-pt17/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1967-pt17-5-1.pdf|access-date=February 27, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=House – April 10, 1968|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=114|issue=8|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=9621|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1968-pt8/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1968-pt8-1-2.pdf|access-date=February 27, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|title=George H.W. Bush (Part 1)|title-link=George H.W. Bush (film)|series=American Experience|series-link=American Experience|network=[[PBS]]|station=[[WGBH-TV|WGBH]]|date=May 5, 2008|season=20|number=13|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/bush/|access-date=November 14, 2022}}</ref> In 1968, Bush joined several other Republicans in issuing the party's [[Response to the State of the Union address]]; Bush's part of the address focused on a call for fiscal responsibility.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=136–137}}

Though most other Texas Republicans supported [[Ronald Reagan]] in the [[1968 Republican Party presidential primaries]], Bush endorsed [[Richard Nixon]], who went on to win the party's nomination. Nixon considered selecting Bush as his running mate in the [[1968 United States presidential election|1968 presidential election]], but he ultimately chose [[Spiro Agnew]] instead. Bush won re-election to the House unopposed, while Nixon defeated [[Hubert Humphrey]] in the presidential election.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=141–142}} In 1970, with President Nixon's support, Bush gave up his seat in the House to [[1970 United States Senate election in Texas|run for the Senate]] against Yarborough. Bush easily won the Republican primary, but Yarborough was defeated by the more conservative [[Lloyd Bentsen]] in the Democratic primary.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=146–147}} Ultimately, Bentsen defeated Bush, taking 53.5 percent of the vote.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=150}}