Jeb Bush Once Labeled Himself ‘Hispanic’

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.”