Half a year after he announced he was launching an exploratory bid for the Republican presidential nomination, former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., will join the growing field of GOP hopefuls later this month, scheduling appearances in states that hold early presidential primaries and caucuses.
Bush tipped his cards this week by showcasing a “big announcement” on Monday, June 15 in South Florida at Miami-Dade College’s Kendall Campus in which he is expected to launch his presidential bid. The Bush camp has even launched a “Jeb Announcement" website through “Jeb 2016.”
Later in that week, Bush will hit some key states that hold early nominating contests such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Bush is scheduled to campaign in Nevada, which also holds an early caucus, toward the end of June.
But there are signs that Bush continues to be in a far weaker position than his father was when he won the Republican nomination in 1988 and his brother was when he won the GOP nod in 2000. This week, Amy Walter from the Cook Report noted Bush was losing steam.
“With each passing day, Jeb Bush looks weaker and weaker,” Walter noted. “While he has a top-notch political team and (reportedly) tons of cash, he is dropping, not rising, in the polls. For a party desperate to win back the White House, Bush is looking more and more like a risky bet.”
On Thursday, Dante Chinni from the Wall Street Journal piled on Bush, noting conservatives had more problems with the former Florida governor than they did in the 2012 election cycle with former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass.
Even Bush’s old stomping grounds could be in peril. Politico featured a story this week showing how U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was picking up steam in the Sunshine State after the impressive start of his campaign.
Other potential Republican presidential candidates are starting to note Bush hasn’t lapped his competition for the GOP’s nomination.
Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, was up in New Hampshire this week and said there was one major reason he could launch a potential bid for the Republican presidential nomination: the underwhelming start of Bush’s efforts.
"I didn't think I was going to be back up here again because, frankly, I thought Jeb was just going to suck all the air out of the room, and it just hasn't happened," Kasich said, according to NH1 News.
"No hit on Jeb. No hit on you, Jeb!" Kasich added.
But Kasich also mocked Bush’s ample war chest. "I’m not going to have Bush money; Wells Fargo doesn’t have Bush money,” Kasich said.
For his part, Bush continues to stress his conservative credentials. Before speaking to Gov. Rick Scott’s, R-Fla., “Economic Growth Summit” this week, Bush stressed his fiscal conservatism.
“I’m proud of what Florida accomplished during my time as governor, including $19 billion in tax cuts and 1.3 million new jobs,” Bush noted.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
