Walker Stapleton is once again tapping his Bush family ties to raise big money in the Colorado governor’s race.
The Republican candidate’s campaign is hosting a Feb. 22 fundraiser in Dallas featuring former President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush as the special guests, according to an event invitation.
To attend the event, top donors are being asked to give $1,150 a person — the maximum contribution for the primary and general election in Colorado. The minimum ticket costs $575.
The host committee includes a list of prominent Texas families and business leaders, many of whom helped elect Bush to the White House.
Stapleton, the two-term state treasurer, is a second cousin to Bush. His father, Craig Roberts Stapleton, was an ownership partner with Bush in the Texas Rangers baseball team and served as ambassador to France from 2005 to 2009. Stapleton’s mother, Dorothy Walker Stapleton, is a cousin to former President George H.W. Bush.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush earlier gave $1,000 to Better Colorado Now, the independent, super PAC-styled committee helping to elect Stapleton.
The Bush family ties may help Stapleton dominate the money race, but his opponents have used the connection to attack him in the Republican primary.
In a statement, a Stapleton spokesman, Michael Fortney, said the campaign “is committed to raising the funds necessary to win in November and stand up for Colorado families.”
