Jeb Bush, the former Governor of Florida who is widely expected to run for US President in 2016, identified himself as Hispanic on a 2009 voter-registration form, according to a report published today.
On a 2009 application to register as a voter, Bush checked Hispanic in the section labeled "race/ethnicity," The New York Times reported.
Bush, who was born in Texas, is the son of former President George HW Bush and brother of former President George W Bush.
He is married to Columba Bush, who was born in Mexico, he speaks fluent Spanish and as a young man he lived in Venezuela.
Winning Latino support is key if Bush is to succeed in a likely run for the presidency. Some 11 million Hispanic people participated in the 2012 elections, equivalent to 8.8 per cent of the total number of voters.
Ethnic self-identity has been an issue for other candidates in the past.
When Elizabeth Warren ran for Senate in 2012, she was accused of misrepresenting herself after saying she was a Native American.
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