One week to go! Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound excited or happy. *Solemn voice* one week to go until Election Day. I’m actually thrilled that I get to cast my ballot for Kamala Harris and my plan is to vote on Election Day at my local polling station. Tens of millions of Americans have already cast their votes through mail-in ballots and early voting, and those numbers will increase over the next week as well. What’s your plan to vote? I prefer going on Election Day because it honestly makes me feel so patriotic and special. It feels more “real” to me to vote in person, but I’m not judging how other people vote! I am really f–king worried about the MAGA cult setting fires to ballot drop-boxes though.

One of the quieter election stories has been the storyline about all of Republican and Democratic presidents and first families endorsing Kamala Harris. All except one former president: George W. Bush. Dubya has stayed silent as the grave for the past three or four presidential elections, although he did make a point of attending Joe Biden’s 2020 inauguration and putting up a unified front with the Democrats post-insurrection. Still, Bush hasn’t said a word, hasn’t endorsed anyone and hasn’t authorized his former staffers to speak about anything. So this surprised me – Dubya’s daughter Barbara is campaigning for Kamala Harris.

Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush and granddaughter of former President George H.W. Bush, spent part of her weekend in Pennsylvania campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris with just days to go before the 2024 presidential election.

“It was inspiring to join friends and meet voters with the Harris-Walz campaign in Pennsylvania this weekend,” Barbara, 42, shares in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Oct. 29. “I’m hopeful they’ll move our country forward and protect women’s rights.”

In March 2017, Barbara rallied for Planned Parenthood, speaking at a fundraiser for the women’s health nonprofit. “I am proud to stand with Planned Parenthood not only because women, regardless of where they are from, deserve to live dignified, healthy lives, [but] … because it’s a really good investment,” she said at the event, according to The Texas Tribune. “We know that when women are healthy, their families and their children are healthier, too.”

Barbara, now a mother of two, told PEOPLE in 2010 that she does not identify with either major political party, and has since been described as an independent.

[From People]

I’m honestly sort of proud of Barbara for this? I don’t mean to sound patronizing at all, but she could have done what her father is doing, stayed silent and not get involved. Instead, she flew to Pennsylvania and came out strong for Kamala Harris. There’s been a lot of talk about “permission structures” and how Republicans can be persuaded to do the right thing. I do feel like Liz Cheney’s extremely vocal endorsement of Harris has given a permission structure for a lot of white women and traditionally Republican women to do more and say more to support Harris. Incidentally, Gerald Ford’s daughter Susan Ford Bales endorsed Harris too.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.