Voters Keep Asking Jeb Bush About His Parents

Jeb Bush can hardly make it through a campaign event without voters asking about his parents’ health.

The nonagenarian scions of the Bush political dynasty are doing just fine, Bush told voters in Iowa on Wednesday, saying his father, former President George H.W. Bush is excited about the ongoing Houston Astros playoff run.

“My mom and dad are doing great,” Bush reported at the end of a campaign stop at a coffee shop along the Mississippi river here. “They’re getting back to Houston, he said, from their summer in Kennebunkport, Maine, adding, “my dad is a No. 1 fan, I’m sure you’ll see him watching the Astros.”

The former president suffered a fall earlier this year that left him in a neck brace.

“He can’t walk, and has a neck brace on when you see him on TV—because I know he’ll be at the ‘Stros game—because he fell and fractured his vertebrae,” Bush continued.

Saying his father is “strong as a goat,” Bush said his campaign is contributing to his father’s wellbeing.

“I feel like I’m participating in this a little bit because my candidacy has lifted his spirits,” Bush said. “I noticed he’s not watching ‘CSI’ re-runs any more. He’s watching Fox, getting mad at people that attack me. I feel like I’m making a contribution.”

He added that his mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, is still the family matriarch.

“She is a blessing from God as far as I’m concerned,” he added, joking, “She’s not always right,” a reference to her since-retracted comment two years ago that the nation had seen enough Bushes in the White House.

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