Jeb Bush says he's in the race "for the long haul"
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Jeb Bush does not think Scott Walker was talking about him when he suggested that more Republicans should emulate his decision to drop out of the presidential race to winnow the field.
"No, no. No, a thousand times, no," Bush responded, when reporters put the question to him after a campaign event here. "I am a big fan of Scott Walker's service as governor or Wisconsin. I am surprised he got out, frankly."
Monday evening, Walker said he believed "I am being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive conservative message can rise to the top of the field," and, he continued, "I encourage other Republican presidential candidates to consider doing the same so that the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive, conservative alternative to the current frontrunner."
Bush took a moment to praise Walker and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who dropped out of the race earlier this month. "You cannot say that Scott Walker or Rick Perry or myself are insiders in Washington. We got to disrupt the order of our state capitals, and people were better off because of it," said Bush, who was a two-term governor of Florida.
His bid continues, though, he assured reporters, saying, "We are in it for the long haul." Bush believes he will be able to pick up some of Walker supporters in Iowa. He'd already managed to attract at least one to his event Monday evening - Iowa State Rep. Terry Baxter, who had committed to Walker, was in the audience at Bush's campaign event.
While CNN's national poll had shown Walker at under one percent, the Real Clear Politics average of polls taken in Iowa, where Walker had once led the field, showed his support at 4.3 percent.