Jeb Bush misidentified himself as ‘Hispanic’ on 2009 voter-registration form

Jeb Bush misidentified himself as “Hispanic” in the “race/ethnicity” field of a 2009 voter-registration form, as The New York Times reported Monday morning.

The former Florida governor, who was born in Texas, is not Hispanic, though he does speak Spanish fluently and he did spend a few years living in Venezuela during his 20s.

Bush’s wife Columba was also born in Mexico.

Though a spokesperson for the likely Republican presidential candidate offered no immediate explanation for the voter form, Bush responded quickly on Twitter, calling it a “mistake.” His son appeared to find the incident particularly funny.

“LOL – come on dad, think you checked the wrong box #HonoraryLatino,” Jeb Bush, Jr., wrote on Twitter.

Later, Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell sent a more formal statement to reporters in an e-mail.

“It’s unclear where the paperwork error was made,” she wrote, according to Politico. “The Governor’s family certainly got a good laugh out of it. He is not Hispanic.”

Ironically, news of Jeb’s “Hispanic” mistake broke just after his niece, Jenna Bush Hager, confessed on NBC’s “Today” that her father — former President Bush, Jeb’s brother —  goes by the nickname “Jefe,” which means “boss” in Spanish.

Bush Hager also announced that she is expecting her second child with husband Henry Hager. It looks like the 43rd president will celebrate the birth of another grandchild in August, just as his brother’s presidential campaign is heating up.

UPDATE: Bush addressed his mistake during a trip to Colorado Tuesday.

“I guess I signed the form and made a mistake. Clearly, I am who I am,” Bush said, chuckling. “It’s kind of bizarre to think there’s some kind of plot here.”

“I’m proud of the fact that I live in Miami,” he continued. “I’m proud of the fact that I’m bilingual, but I’m certainly Anglo. I’m not sure what the big deal is.”