Bush, Rubio battle for donors may forecast campaign's next step
Politics
Bush, Rubio battle for donors may forecast campaign’s next step
When he left Florida he was but the learner; now Marco Rubio is hoping to prove the circle of political life is now complete as he takes on former mentor Jeb Bush. In public, the Republican presidential hopefuls are moving from polite rivals to bickering combatants. Behind the scenes, their intensifying battle for donors since Scott Walker exited the Republican race may be a precursor of the next leg in the campaign. The two, both from Florida, occupy the same party establishment turf in the 2016 campaign, and many Republicans believe their courtship of Walker’s supporters is a quiet version of what will erupt into a full-bore battle — for cash and voters.
With Bush, they realize that Rubio is their problem, and if they don’t snuff him out, it’s really bad news.
Craig Robinson, a prominent GOP activist and former state party official in Iowa, to Politico
Even with the exit of Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, on Sept. 21, Bush and Rubio are among 15 Republican contenders, with the early nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire now four months away. Many analysts, though, think that Bush and Rubio could rise to the top if outsider favorites Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina falter. Bush, 62, is touting his experience as a governor who advanced conservative principles while Rubio, 44, is emphasizing his foreign policy knowledge gained in the Senate and the promise of a new generation of leadership. As the fight for the nomination heats up, this may just be the battle to watch.
I absolutely think [Florida] is going to be make or break for both Jeb and Marco. Between Bush and Rubio, this is where the rubber meets the road.
Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist who worked on John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, to Mother Jones
