After Jeb Bush announced that he is “actively” look into running for President in 2016, many politicos seem to think that Rubio’s own presidential aspirations have been nixed by the announcement.
Rubio’s hopes for 2016 may have been squashed, but what about the national team of advisors and supporters he has been drumming up for quite some time?Rubio has been expending huge amounts of donor dollars for his Reclaim American PAC, to pay those issues-based consultants to mount a national campaign for him, and has said he would make his decision in the “coming weeks,” and that Jeb Bush would not influence that decision.
So, why would he back down from running?
Do you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?(2)
If both Rubio and Bush decide to run for President, the money will surely go to Jeb Bush, and Rubio knows it.
Many of Rubio’s conservative donors will not support Bush, rather look to someone else that they consider to be more conservative, which could be a problem for Bush, if he challenged by a more conservative outsider GOP candidate for president.
So what are the establishment Republicans and money-men in Florida saying about a Jeb v. Marco showdown?“It’s nothing against Marco,” said John Thrasher, a former legislator who is now president of Florida State University. “Jeb has built up political capital over the years. It’s not just capital. These are people who have worked with him, understand him, and feel his time is here.”
Then there is this:
“I love Marco Rubio. I was his general campaign chairman when he ran for Senate,” said Al Hoffman, a developer and former Republican National Committee finance chairman from North Palm Beach. “Marco is a great guy and has a tremendous future, but I have to support Jeb first.”
And…
“It’s about loyalty. For so many of us who got into this game, you don’t forget the one who brought us to the dance. Jeb and his dad and his brother did that for us,” said Mike Hightower, another top fundraiser and former Duval County GOP chairman. “I’d say to Marco, ‘Sorry, but on this one I can’t help you. It’s not personal.’ “
All of these men were staunch supporters of Rubio’s in 2010, but it was only after he was able turn to prove to them that he could defeat Charlie Crist, then they all jumped on board his Senate campaign.
Could we see a repeat of Rubio’s historic 2010 senate campaign in 2016, only this time between Jeb and Marco?
Think about it. This has all the makings of another Rubio inspired David versus Goliath political race.
Chances for that are slim. The reason for this is that Rubio and Bush are very similar.
Both men will have considerable problems trying to convince conservative grassroots Republicans to support their views and position on immigration reform.
Jeb supports amnesty for illegal immigrants, and so does Rubio, well sort of.
Like Jeb, Rubio first started out in politics being very hawkish on legal immigration reform, but then later on flip-flopped in 2013 to support a more “comprehensive” approach to immigration.
Jeb has stuck to his immigration guns, while Rubio is now back-peddling from his disastrous decision to cosponsor the Senate “Gang of Ocho” immigration bill in 2013, and is now supportive of a “piece meal” approach to fixing the immigration system.
But the one issue that the two are world’s apart on is Common Core.
Jeb Bush is considered the Godfather of Common Core education standards, which like Obamacare, is simply socialized education.
Rubio is staunchly against Common Core.
If the both do decide to run for president, they may splinter the Florida Republican vote enough to allow an outsider, a more conservative presidential candidate like Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, or Rick Perry to squeak out the win in the state.
Hey, this is politics, and we have all witnessed stranger things happen.
Don’t count out those outsiders I mentioned, they are extremely viable candidates.
