![GOP Presidential Hopeful Jeb Bush at Myrtle Beach GOP Breakfast Event Former Florida Governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush speaks to supporters at an early morning GOP breakfast event in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on March 18, 2015.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/42-69855600.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush mischaracterized himself as Hispanic in a voter-registration application in 2009, according to a new report.
The New York Times, citing a voter-registration application obtained from the Miami-Dade County Elections Department, reports that Bush marked Hispanic in the field labeled “race/ethnicity.” Bush’s wife is Mexican-born and he has close ties with Hispanic leaders that have Republicans hoping he could make inroads with the fast-growing demographic in the 2016 presidential race. But he is, of course, the white son of former President George H.W. Bush.
“It’s unclear where the paperwork error was made,” said a Bush spokesperson in an email. “The Governor’s family certainly got a good laugh out of it. He is not Hispanic.”
Bush referenced his faux pas in jest on Twitter.
Bush, a likely presidential candidate, is fluent in Spanish, has lived in Venezuela, and supports immigration reform. Univision has called him a “Hispanic candidate.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Contact us at letters@time.com