Jeb Bush's introduction to Nevada, a key Western early voting state, didn't go off smoothly,
Politico reports.
Bush, a leading — if yet unofficial — GOP presidential candidate, hoped to take advantage of what is described as Rand Paul's "Western firewall."
Instead, he looked weak on the campaign trail, mispronouncing Nevada, earning a verbal slap by a town hall attendee over his brother's entrée in the Iraq War, as well as letting slip he was indeed running for president in a TV interview — an awkward moment where he had to correct himself on camera, Politico reported.
After a tough roll out during a two-day Nevada trip, his stump speech seemed uninspired, Politico said, noting there was "little conviction" and a "rote delivery" when the former Florida governor stepped up to address the Clark County GOP Lincoln Day dinner in Las Vegas.
Still, Nevada remains important to Republican contenders and is one state Bush is seeking to gain ground in, Politico said in reporting on his message comparing Florida and its politically divided nature with Nevada.
"Florida is very similar to your state; it’s a purple state," Bush told the crowd. "We’ve got a lot of people moving in and a lot of people moving out. It’s not a liberal state, it’s not a conservative state, it’s a state that ebbs and flows."
This makes him well-qualified to lead in a place that is divided — much like the country, Bush said.
"Conservative principles applied the right way matter," Bush said. "Our business climate yielded the kind of environment where people were free to pursue their dreams."
Nevada is tilting Republican, with GOP lawmakers earning a majority in the statehouse for the first time in decades, the
Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
With long-serving Democratic Sen. Harry Reid retiring, the GOP there has a new inroad just as the 2016 presidential race ramps up.
Bush, however, endured "hostile questions" along his Nevada campaign stops,
The Washington Post also reported, including an exchange with one young man who pointedly slammed the U.S. engagement in Iraq under George W. Bush.
Jeb Bush also responded to questions about a response he gave in a recent Fox News interview, defending invading Iraq in hindsight. He said he misinterpreted the "if you knew then, what we know now" question from host Megyn Kelly, the Post reported.
His response has drawn scrutiny from his detractors.
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