Texas and Florida are regarded as certain to elect two sons of former president George Bush as governors in today's mid-term elections and make one of them a likely presidential contender in 2000.
Mr George W. Bush Jnr is certain to be re-elected as governor of Texas, where he leads his Democratic opponent by 40 points. Possessed of the public charisma his father lacked, he is so popular that he has been endorsed by more than 100 Democratic officials. He is widely seen as a likely Republican contender for the presidency in two years' time.
In Florida his younger brother, Mr John Ellis Bush (known as Jeb from his initials), is comfortably ahead of the incumbent governor, Mr Buddy McKay, but is leaving nothing to chance. He still recalls losing heavily to Mr McKay in 1994.
Jeb's mother, Mrs Barbara Bush, cut short a visit to China to campaign in Florida when the polls showed the gap with Mr McKay beginning to close.
A victory for the two brothers would make history by putting them in charge of the two most important states in the south. The fact that they are both fluent in Spanish has greatly helped their popularity in regions with large Hispanic populations.
Both are also known for their conservative policies and religious devoutness. But George is also known for having sowed wild oats in his youth and having a possible problem if he runs for higher office because of hard drinking and possible use of drugs in his bachelor days.
While he has not yet declared himself a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, he said recently that the media scrutiny of politicians' private lives, as happened with President Clinton, makes him uneasy.
Jeb Bush (45) says he has no presidential ambitions.
AFP adds:
"I'll be the governor who works for everyone," Mr Bush says in fluent Spanish on Miami campaign radio advertisements.
It helps among the Hispanic voters that Mr Bush has been married for 24 years to a Mexican-born woman, Ms Columba Garnica Gallo.