Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is building a campaign infrastructure in Tennessee as he looks to win the “SEC primary,” within Super Tuesday’s 12-state nominating contests on March 1. “SEC” is a reference to the collegiate Southeastern Conference’s prominence in NCAA football.
Bush has a 57-person delegate team spread across each of Tennessee’s nine congressional districts that includes former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
“Organizing a presidential campaign in Tennessee is tougher than in some other places, and this shows enthusiasm and momentum for Jeb Bush in one of the important ‘SEC primary’ states,” said Tom Ingram, a senior adviser to the Bush campaign, in a statement. “This campaign is systematically organizing across the country, doing the hard work required to get on ballots and ultimately put together an organization that can win a primary and deliver the White House. This is the latest example of a campaign that is pulling the right levers in ground-level organizing.”
The Bush campaign has hit the pavement in several southern states, and the governor has traveled to tailgates of multiple SEC rivalry football games including a Tennesee Volunteers game against the Georgia Bulldogs. The governor has even fashioned his first name, Jeb, into the the image of the well-known “SEC” logo. The SEC was none too happy and as a result of the two groups’ negotiations earlier this week, Bush will reportedly modify the logo.
Bush, who ranks fifth in the Washington Examiner‘s most recent power rankings, finishes tied for fifth in RealClearPolitics’ average of national polls.
