I’m not going to change who I am,” Bush said in the interview. His campaign aides say they are laying groundwork for the former president to get involved in friendlier territory, in South Carolina. Bush, who lost the state in the 2000 GOP primary to John McCain. In a joke that triggered boos, Bush referenced his mother’s role as a disciplinarian, saying, “She’s not as great as everybody thinks she is.”īush has not brought in his brother, George W. Thursday night in Derry he shared a stage with his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, who praised her son as “the nicest, wisest, most caring, loyal, disciplined - but he’s not a bragger we don’t allow that.”īush responded with a taste of his dry sense of humor that doesn’t always translate. Now he’s more fully embracing their legacy and name. In early phases of his campaign, he unveiled a logo without the surname - simply, “Jeb!” - that spoke to his desire to blaze his own path, separate from presidents 41 and 43, his father and brother. 1, according to recent campaign finance filings.īush also has settled into a more comfortable approach to his family tree. He still had $7.6 million in his account while the super PAC supporting him had $58.6 million as of Jan. Just like there was with Barack Obama.”īush does have the financial resources to continue. “But when he himself has a hard time explaining what his record of accomplishment is. He’s a really good politician,” Bush said. Bush has ratcheted up his criticism of the Florida senator, saying that he has a paper-thin resume and that a vote for him is a risky bet for Republicans. From a strategic perspective, they say Rubio has run a near-flawless, if not especially inspiring, campaign, avoiding gaffes and sticking to his script.īut even while Bush views Rubio’s lack of experience as an Achilles' heel, his own struggles revolve around his inability to sell his leadership experience - which includes two terms as Florida governor - on the stump.īush was a one-time mentor to Rubio and now seems taken aback that the man 18 years his junior is gaining while he remains stalled. They say they are no longer threatened by Christie, but they view Kasich as a strong candidate. I will fight on”), his aides privately concede that time is short, and the window to gain some momentum is narrowing. While Bush downplays the need for a victory here (“We have a national campaign. Are we actually at the beginning of it? I don’t know.” “I’m not sure what it is in terms of long term - how politics and how parties, what role they’ll play. And then you have this Trump phenomenon that is not ideological per se.” “We have varying forms of conservative thought. “We’re fractured,” Bush said in the interview aboard his bus. The so-called “establishment lane’’ in the election will open up for Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the young, less tested former ally of Bush who burst onto the national scene in 2010 as an insurgent Tea Party figure. It’s not just Bush who is in danger of being capsized by Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, but also Ohio Governor John Kasich and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. In quiet conversations at the Concord Courtyard Marriott, they seize on any bit of good news and hope for a breakthrough moment they hope that New Hampshire - with its history of primary night surprises - can deliver.īut if things don’t work out that way, the failures of Bush’s quest to extend the family dynasty could serve as a crushing referendum on the mainstream Republican establishment. But now, just a few days before the New Hampshire vote, he seems like he’s alone in a rowboat, furiously pushing against the current.īush and his aides say he could still bounce back here. Bush began a year ago at the helm of a steamship of a campaign, with all the advantages that his family pedigree, corporate political money, and establishment backing conferred.
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