Jeb Bush supporters are breathing a sigh of relief.
After a few weeks of tough media coverage that had called into question the former Florida governor’s political strength and readiness to compete in 2016, he delivered an aggressive, focused speech announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. The performance put his boosters at ease and reminded competitors that he is a force to be reckoned with, even if just one of several.
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“There had been a lot of handwringing that he would fall flat,” said a Republican operative in Bush’s orbit. “Thank God, this is going to be a real campaign; he is running on his conservative record.”
Bush, 62, and his team, had spent the days leading up to his announcement batting down questions about his viability in a deep, competitive field of Republican contenders, including sitting and former governors and senators that bring to the race their own constituencies and a plausible path to the big stage in Cleveland, the site of the GOP nominating convention next July.
Bush partisans were still smarting over his failure to cleanly discuss the unpopular 2003 Iraq war initiated by his brother, President George W. Bush. Then, Bush made a key staff change, appointing Danny Diaz campaign manager on the eve of his launch after previously designating David Kochel for the post. Kochel, a veteran Iowa operative, was shifted to senior position overseeing Bush’s early state campaign strategy.
The move plays to Kochel’s talents and did not necessarily consist of the big “shakeup” it was reported as. But it was cast as such.
That made Bush’s Monday afternoon speech making his long-expected presidential campaign official a much bigger deal than it might have been had the former governor jumped in just six weeks earlier.
Bush remains on track to raise substantially more money than his Republican rivals, if not overall than at least at the outset of the primary battle, that includes on the official campaign side and via his super PAC, Right to Rise USA. The Floridian also has scooped up at least as much top political talent as has any of his opponents, if not more, positioning him to field a well-run operation.
Yet some Bushies, including a circle that goes back past his brother’s administration to that of his father, President George H.W. Bush, were momentarily nervous. Jeb Bush’s well-executed opening campaign rally and sharply written, succinctly orated speech calmed jitters and left the governor’s backers in about as confident a position as they were when he shook up the race in December when he signaled his intention to seek the nomination.
“If the first test was raising money and the second test was the ability to give a big defining speech, Jeb has passed both with solid grades,” said a Bush supporter, who, like others, only agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. “Jeb is playing a long and very sophisticated game. It is clear he has a strategy to go the distance.”
The Bush campaign declined to comment for this story.
Disclosure: The author’s wife works as an adviser to Scott Walker.
