Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's delay in announcing whether he is running for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination has some donors and supporters worried that he might not be able to excite voters like some of the early entrants in the race.
"They are loyal to him and support him, but they're watching closely to see if he can campaign in a way that says 'yes, he has energy to get the base electrified,'" Club for Growth President David McIntosh told
The Washington Post.
Donors are particularly antsy, he said, especially because Bush advisers say the former governor will most likely not make any announcement for at least another month, the Post reports.
"This isn't like 1999, when the money decided there is no one else but George W. Bush and watched it all come together," McIntosh said.
But Jeb Bush and his advisers are deliberately taking a slow approach, the Post reports, one that seeks to bring as much cash as possible into his super-PAC though it raises questions about whether the former governor is serious about a White House run.
"Not announcing yet may look bad to some of our donors," said Vin Weber, a Republican consultant advising Bush on domestic policy. "They wonder, 'Gee, are we waiting too long?' That's a natural reaction, but it's jitters. The campaign's general response is: We have a plan, and we're on track to achieve all of our goals."
The strategy is the brainchild of Mike Murphy, Bush's longtime political confidant, and mirrors the tack former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney took in 2012. Romney used his strong financial position to attack opponents throughout an arduous primary process.
This time, however, Bush faces a stronger field of GOP contenders, some of whom already have strong super-PACs and donors in their corners, the Post reports.
"The big story so far of the Republican presidential race is the failure of Jeb Bush to dominate," Bill Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, told the Post. "He hasn't pulled it off."
For instance, Bush has paid little attention to Iowa. He missed the Iowa Faith and Freedom Summit last month, though he plans to attend the Iowa GOP Lincoln Dinner on May 16.
Some supporters are concerned that he may neglect the Iowa straw poll in August.
The Hawkeye State holds its GOP caucuses on Feb. 2, the first test of the primary season.
"I don't care if he's a Rockefeller liberal," Sam Clovis, a conservative organizer in northwest Iowa, told the Post. "It's his disdain for the grass roots, our sense that he doesn't think that Iowa is relevant, that will make people stay away."
Others fear Bush could cede popularity to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who announced his White House bid last month.
If Rubio "actually takes hold nationwide, I think Bush is going to have a very difficult time competing with that," Saul Anuzis, a former Michigan Republican Party chairman who backs Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, told the Post.
Cruz was the first to announce his candidacy, on March 23.
Rubio presents a direct threat to Bush as the "most acceptable establishment, moderate-conservative candidate," Anuzis said.
Further, Bush's non-announcement comes as Republicans are sizing up who can best square off against the likely Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.
"I don't think he has made many missteps," Kristol told the Post. "What he's struggling with is something more structural: the primary electorate is more averse to signing onto an establishment front-runner than they have been in past election cycles.
"They sense he maybe wouldn't be the best nominee against Clinton and want someone brash, someone new."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.