Despite the high hopes of the GOP establishment, Jeb Bush has never inspired much excitement among Republican primary voters.
Now that we’ve had two debates and the candidates are coming into clearer focus, Jeb’s poll numbers are starting to reflect what many on the right already knew.
Daniel Halper of The Weekly Standard:
Poll: Jeb Falls to 4%The latest Pew poll shows that Jeb Bush has fallen to 4 percent in the Republican field. Donald Trump leads the field with 25 percent; Ben Carson is at 16 percent.Carly Fiorina and Marco Rubio are tied for third at 8 percent of the Republican field. “At this stage of the 2016 presidential campaign, key issues divide both Republican and Democratic voters, and early candidate preferences reflect some of these cleavages,” writes Pew.“When Republican and Republican-leaning voters are asked in an open-ended format (no names provided) for their first choice for the nomination, none of the 15 GOP candidates are named by more than 25% of those who may vote in the primary: 25% name Donald Trump, 16% name Ben Carson, both Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina are named by 8%, 6% name Ted Cruz and 4% choose Jeb Bush.
Last night on the O’Reilly Factor, Bill aired an interview he recently conducted with Jeb in which he pointed out to the former governor that he lacks the anger felt by many on the right over Obama’s policies.
Jeb probably won’t drop out any time soon but the turning point will be reached when the donations stop coming in. That’s the harsh reality of any campaign.
CNN asks the obvious question:
Will donors stick with Jeb Bush?From the moment Jeb Bush entered the presidential race, his financial backers said they chose him because he was the candidate who could go the distance. But few expected the marathon would be so difficult.The former Florida governor is fifth in New Hampshire—where he has campaigned hard with a presence on the airwaves. He is trailing Marco Rubio in a new national USA Today/Suffolk University poll and is competing with his one-time understudy for the many undecided donors who are waiting to see how the field shakes out. And Bush is still being overshadowed by the juggernaut that is Donald Trump—as the real estate magnate continues to dominate media coverage that has helped solidify his wide lead in the polls.In interviews with more than a dozen Bush donors and bundlers this week, many said they are willing to be patient — for now. But some donors are acknowledging frustration that all of Bush’s advantages — including hard dollars and a capable team with a presence in the four early vote states — aren’t making him a more forceful presence in the race.
Featured image via YouTube.
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