Politico put out two separate reports Tuesday that offered two completely different views on the state of Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush’s campaign.
Bush, once the front-runner in the race for the GOP nomination and now number six in the Washington Examiner‘s presidential power rankings, has seen his national poll numbers crater into the single digits, often showing up in fifth place, well behind rival Donald Trump, who now sits in first.
Bush’s weakened status inspired Politico to report on the campaign’s effort to sooth “increasingly anxious donors.” Citing an anonymous Bush donor, the report said the “panic level” within the Bush team is “6 or 7.”
A separate report, however, was published three hours later in one of Politico’s tip sheets and it portrayed a much calmer scenario among Bush donors.
“Bush donors panicked?” it said. “Not according to several [Politico] talked to this week. Would they like poll numbers higher? Sure. But there are still several months to go before any votes are cast. Said one: ‘Team Bush is not panicked … Bottom line, Jeb is the only grownup with money, a message and organization. Time is, as the Stones say, on his side.'”
Both Eli Stokols and Ben White, the authors of the separate stories, maintained that their reports were more or less in sync. Stokols said, however, that depending on separate sources for separate stories, the reports would have some discrepancies.
The stories may not have set well with the Bush campaign.
“Politico can’t get its story straight,” said one Bush aide, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Another shining example of herd journalism in the Beltway.”
