Political campaigns are all about transparency. Scandals are uncovered, aides get thrown under the bus, and fellow party members once thought to be allies begin to distance themselves if their own shady dealings come to light.
Rarely - if ever - do candidates confess to their own slip-ups. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush did just that, admitting he listed himself as Hispanic on a 2009 Miami-Dade County voter registration form.
"My Mistake! Don't think I've fooled anyone!" Bush posted to his Twitter account Monday morning. Potential voters must sign a hard copy of the application because the individuals is affirming an oath, according to the Florida Division of Elections.
Bush is Hispanic in the sense that he speaks near-effortless Spanish. He learned the language while living in Venezuela for two years in his 20s. Wife Columba Garnica de Gallo is Mexican-American, as are their three children. But, as Twitter users were quick to remind the former Florida governor, hobbies and spouses can't change one's ethnicity.
Latinos generally favor Bush, even if they don’t historically support Republican candidates. In 2008, GOP presidential nominee John McCain received 31 percent of the Latino vote while Mitt Romney won 27 percent. Four years later, Romney drew the exact same amount.
Putting that in perspective, Bush won the governorship of Florida with 61 percent of the Hispanic vote in 1998. Whether he genuinely is Hispanic or not, Bush is pandering the fastest growing voter-base in the United States.