Former Gov. Jeb Bush is quickly becoming the 800-pound gorilla in the race for 2016 high-dollar donors. That's causing problems for other GOP hopefuls, who are now likely to accelerate their own timelines for deciding whether to run, reports Matea Gold and Robert Costa
at the Washington Post.
Bush announced to new political action committees Tuesday and he and his allies are aggressively wooing donors, which has been particularly upsetting to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Christie in particular has been squeezed by Bush, who has cast himself as the same kind of pragmatic, reform-oriented center-right candidate. Bush aides are intensely courting the New Jersey governor’s financial backers, seeking to persuade them to change sides.
Maybe that's why Christie was
desperately clinging to billionaire Jerry Jones after the Dallas Cowboys win Sunday.
But Christie stands to lose more than just a jump on donors. He could also lose what may have been his chief selling point.
“The question to me seems to be, how does it affect the message he tries to deliver?” [former Minnesota congressman Vin Weber] said. “A year ago, he would have been the establishment candidate. Now Governor Bush is ahead of him, and how is he going to position himself? I think that’s an open question.”
Maybe that orange sweater wasn't so lucky after all.
Not to be forgotten are Sen. Marco Rubio—who's launching a tour to promote his new book American Dreams—and the roster of other guvs waiting in the wings: Scott Walker of Wisconsin, John Kasich of Ohio, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas (who recently resigned his post at Fox News in preparation for a run). Oh, and good ol' Rick Santorum.
Most donors were reportedly hoping to wait until Feb/March to make commitments to GOP contenders. No rest for the weary. Let the mudslinging begin!