Jeb Bush is hoping his stature with Florida Republicans can move the needle on Amendment 2 and help defeat that medical marijuana initiative.
Even with conservative distaste over Bushs support of Common Core and immigration reform, including going out of his way to trash Arizonas immigration law, the former governor remains pretty popular with Florida Republicans. Polls show Bush coming closer against Hillary Clinton in Florida than any other potential Republican presidential candidate.
Amendment 2's foes hope Bushs stature can help turn things around. Polls show Floridians overwhelmingly back medical marijuana but, the more they know about the details of Amendment 2, the less enthusiastic they get about it.
Theres also a partisan element that needs to be considered. Republicans are generally less supportive of Amendment 2 than Democrats or independents. They also are more likely to come out in off-year elections than other voters. Opponents of Amendment 2 hope Bushs stature with Florida Republicans can help turn things around, getting them to the 40 percent they need to defeat the proposal.
By announcing his opposition to Amendment 2, Bush also moves the conversation away from Common Core. Bush will be campaigning with Rick Scott in Homestead on Friday. The two Republicans arent exactly on the same page when it comes to immigration and Common Core, with Bush hanging out on Scotts left flank on those issues. But Bushs announcement will take focus away from those issues while giving Scott a chance to showcase his support of the Charlottes Web bill he signed into law and offer his take on Amendment 2. Scott needs a united Republican base against Charlie Crist in November and conservatives are nowhere near as engaged on medical marijuana as they are on immigration and Common Core.
Bush was also savvy enough to couch his opposition to Amendment 2 in conservative terms.
Florida leaders and citizens have worked for years to make the Sunshine State a world-class location to start or run a business, a family-friendly destination for tourism and a desirable place to raise a family or retire, Bush said on Thursday. Allowing large-scale, marijuana operations to take root across Florida, under the guise of using it for medicinal purposes, runs counter to all of these efforts. I believe it is the right of states to decide this issue, and I strongly urge Floridians to vote against Amendment 2 this November.
Bush waved the states rights banner and claims Amendment 2 would hurt tourism, families and businesses. Not bad cards to play with conservatives, especially as businesses are creating more jobs in Florida, helped in part by record-breaking tourism. Bush was smart enough to not attack medical marijuana, only Amendment 2.
Polls show Floridians back medical marijuana but opponents of Amendment 2 will have their opportunities to cast doubts about the proposal. Bush can help turn things around on Amendment 2 if he takes a high-profile role against it, perhaps reaching across party lines to work with the likes of Debbie Wasserman Schultz in ads stressing its not a partisan issue. Regardless of what he does, Bush is a good get for Amendment 2 foes and can only help their chances of defeating the proposal.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis exclusively for Sunshine State News.
