Marco Rubio launched a preemptive strike against Jeb Bush Tuesday with a new ad featuring the many instances of the former governor showering praise on his fellow Floridian.
The web ad, titled “Before the phony attacks,” features four separate examples of Bush lauding Rubio over the years and comes on the heels of a piece in the New York Times which revealed that Bush’s Right To Rise PAC is planning a $20 million ad blitz in an effort to take Rubio down.
Except for Rubio saying he “approves this message,” Bush is the sole narrator of the ad.
“What Marco has, I think something that the Republican Party needs to have, which is a hopeful, optimistic message based on our principles,” Bush says in the beginning of the ad.
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“I’m a huge Marco fan,” Bush says of Rubio, who currently tops the Washington Examiner’s latest power rankings.
“He’s probably the most articulate conservative on the scene today,” Bush says, adding that he has “the fortitude to be a good president.”
“I’m so proud of his high-voltage energy. I’m so proud of his enthusiasm. I’m so proud of his eloquence,” Bush said, before the ad repeats the “I’m a huge Marco fan” line.
In addition, the Rubio’s campaign manager Terry Sullivan sent out a fundraising letter to supporters asking “This is a Joyful Campaign???” He also pans a potential attack against Rubio’s pro-life standing as something they would expect from the Hillary Clinton or the mainstream media.
The Times piece describes Bush aides as “seething with anger” over Rubio rise, and adds also that some Bush supporters refer to the Florida senator as “Judas” for running when it was perceived to be Bush’s time to do so.
According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Rubio currently sits third in polling nationally, as well as in both Iowa and New Hampshire behind only Donald Trump and Ben Carson. Meanwhile, Bush continues to languish back in fifth place nationally and in both early states.
