Jeb Bush looks for support at home in Florida
While Jeb Bush has reportedly conceded his debating needs work, his campaign continues to emphasize his governing experience with his new e-book and a new video.
Bush has gone home to Florida for two days of campaigning through the state, on Friday and Monday. After a tough debate in Colorado, Bush is in Punta Gorda, Florida on Friday for the annual "Hurricane Bowl" football game played between Charlotte High School and Port Charlotte High School. It's an effort by the campaign to promote his new e-book "Reply All," highlighting his leadership as governor of Florida.
As part of the rollout, the campaign released a six-minute video feature titled, "Divided by a River, United by a Storm," which tells the story of how Hurricane Charley devastated the Punta Gorda area in August of 2004, wiping out the facilities at Charlotte High School. It plays up Bush's push to make sure that classes for students at Charlotte High School were in session by the end of the month which ultimately resulted in Charlotte High School students sharing the facilities at neighboring rival Port Charlotte High School.
"I think Governor Bush was the glue that helped bring our community back together," former CHS principal Barney Duffey says in video. Two months after the hurricane hit Punta Gorda, the two school football teams were back playing the big game against each other with Bush performing the opening coin toss.
Bush's e-book, available next week on Amazon, is a compilation of his emails from his two terms as governor showing conversations between Bush and Floridians on subjects ranging from gay rights to his hurricane leadership. As Florida governor, he often gave out his email address to constituents, a practice that he continues as a presidential candidate.
The former Florida governor's swing through his home state comes as he continues to attack one-time protégé Senator Marco Rubio. On Thursday, Bush revisited his debate line criticizing Rubio's Senate attendance. It was a line that fell flat after Rubio's well-prepared retort that pointed out that other senators who had run for president also saw their attendance drop off, including Sen. John McCain, whose primary candidacy Bush has said he's trying to emulate.
In an interview with Fox News, Bush said, "John McCain had a proven record as a senator. He also ran for president. But he got a lot of stuff done while he was a United States Senator and still does. Marco, look, he had the worst attendance record prior to being a candidate for president." Bush's home state trip comes as both campaigns vie for Florida's wealthy donors and its early primary votes.
While supporters of the governor acknowledge that Wednesday's debate did him no favors, they argue that one debate won't change anything. "I think the most important thing is for folks to realize it's the beginning of the beginning," former Florida Senator George Leimeux said in an interview with CBS News. "Folks are very supportive of him and realize it's a long contest." Leimeux also pointed out that the most officials in Republican politics in Florida are supporting Bush over Rubio.
On Monday, Bush begins what his campaign is calling the "Jeb Can Fix It" tour in Florida, with stops in Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville.