With 2016 around the corner, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) will be hosting the Sunshine Summit in Orlando from Nov. 12-Nov. 14 and the stakes will be high. The presidential hopefuls will take most of the spotlight but there’s another important race already taking shape as Rubio has said he will not run for a second Senate term. Florida Republicans Ron DeSantis, David Jolly, Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Todd Wilcox are already off and running and they will be at the Sunshine Summit trying to win support for their Senate bids.
Continuing over the next week, Sunshine State News will look at the presidential hopefuls who will be on stage at the Sunshine Summit and what is at stake as they take their messages to Republicans across Florida.
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The stakes couldn’t be higher for Jeb Bush as he heads to next week’s Sunshine Summit in Orlando.
Bush has flopped badly in recent weeks, stumbling in the debates and fighting off rumors that his campaign will end soon, even as he cuts staff salaries. Trying to get the former governor back into the groove, his campaign has focused on the Sunshine State, sending Bush to events across the state as he works familiar, friendly territory.
Over the last two decades, Bush has been the leading figure in the Florida GOP. But that wasn’t enough to keep Marco Rubio out of the presidential race and Bush has been fading in polls of Florida, losing ground to Rubio and other candidates like Donald Trump and Ben Carson.
Under fire for his positions on immigration and Common Core, Bush needs to turn things around quickly. With his last campaign taking part in 2002, Bush is rusty on the campaign trail and it shows. Even worse, Bush is not exactly at his best when he goes on the attack, something that was painfully clear in last week’s debate when he floundered when going after Rubio.
Bush will hope to rally the troops and get his mojo back at the Sunshine Summit. He is scheduled to take the stage late in the afternoon on Fri., Nov. 13 after four other presidential hopefuls speak and before Trump.
At the Sunshine Summit, Bush will need to bring his A game. He needs to reassure wavering supporters and donors that he is a serious contender and will be able to go the distance even with his recent problems and having to insist this week that he is going to last through at least Iowa.
Bush will have some support from party regulars and polls have shown the former governor doing better with Florida Hispanics than any of the other Republican contenders. While Bush fatigue is alive and well--even with Republican voters--the former governor can take solace in the fact that the GOP has not won a presidential election without a member of his family on the ticket since 1972.
At the Sunshine Summit, Bush needs to stop the bleeding. He won’t get a better chance to do it than in front of the party he has led for two decades. A poor performance will only lead to speculation that it’s time to stick a fork in Bush.
No candidate has as much on the line at the Sunshine Summit as Bush does. How he does there will help determine if he is an actual contender for the Republican nod or one of the biggest flops in recent presidential elections.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
