Jeb Bush says if people don't like how he raised money for super PAC, 'that's just tough luck'

Jeb Bush.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

During a conference in Southern California on Sunday, Jeb Bush told a room filled with 450 wealthy conservative donors that he has no qualms with raising more than $103 million for his allied super PAC, saying, "I'm playing the rules of the game, the way it's laid out. And if people don't like it, that's just tough luck."

"You might as well front load it if you can," the GOP presidential candidate continued. "This is a long haul. ... I'm not running to come in third. I'm not running to have it on my résumé that I ran for president. The purpose is to run with purpose, to run with heart, to run in a way that draws people to our cause, and money helps. Money helps."

The event was founded by industrialist Charles Koch in 2003, in response to his frustration with federal spending by Bush's brother, former president George W. Bush, The Washington Post reports. Bush said his brother is "extraordinary," but he is "running for president based on my own record and my own life experience."

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.