Reports: Jeb Urged to Bring in George W. to Campaign in SC

As former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush struggles with declining poll numbers in his quest for the GOP presidential nomination, his friends and advisers are reportedly urging him to do something he has so far taken pains to avoid: use his brother.

Former President George W. Bush is popular still among Republicans — especially in the South, and Jeb Bush is being urged to use him in the key early primary state of South Carolina, The New York Times reports. 

Fox News Channel's Neil Cavuto noted on Monday that George W. Bush's popularity has "improved measurably" since his last days in office.

That has advisers telling Jeb Bush, "Why not? The whole world knows you are his brother. Embrace him," Cavuto said.

Adriana Cohen of The Boston Herald agreed with Cavuto that Jeb Bush faces a "double-edged sword" using his brother.

"On one hand there is a lot that Jeb Bush should be proud of with his family history, whether it's his father's presidency or with George W. Bush. They did a lot of good jobs in many areas," Cohen said. "Then there is the controversy surrounding the Iraq War."

But, Cohen noted, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton voted for the war as so did Vice President Joe Biden when they were in the Senate.

"So the Bush family certainly didn't orchestrate that war alone," she said. Still, Jeb Bush has to carve out his own identity, she added.

"He is not a twin with his brother," she said. "But at this point his poll numbers have been in a free-fall for many, many months. So he's got to do something. And I think it's fine to embrace his last name. Everybody knows who he is. They know he's a Bush."

The problem, the Times notes, is that while his brother can help in the primaries, he could hurt him in the general election. George W. Bush is far from popular with the population as a whole.

Video from primary appearances could then be used in the general election if Bush wins the nomination.

"It may ruin the race for him down the line, but it could win the race here," Katon Dawson, former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, told the Times.

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