Jeb Bush's lackluster campaign sparks GOP grumblings: 'If you want to lose the general election, nominate Jeb'


Jeb Bush could be the letdown of the Republican primary if he doesn't resuscitate his campaign posthaste. Sunday saw the former Florida governor slide to fifth place in the race behind Trump, Carson, Rubio, and Fiorina, with only 7 percent in a national NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. His numbers are similarly unexciting in Iowa and New Hampshire, both of which have early February contests.
"What I hear everywhere when you say Jeb's name is, 'If you want to lose the general election, nominate Jeb,'" one fundraiser, speaking under anonymity, told The Washington Post.
A series of gaffes and misfires have plagued Jeb from the start, while alienating minorities and women voters — demographics that Jeb's so-called "cultural fluency" was supposed to win over, according to The Washington Post. Nevertheless, Jeb's staffers are in search of a campaign defibrillator: "I think if people get to know Jeb and they give him a chance, he's going to be tough to beat,” Republican strategist Henry Barbour said. "But they don't know him yet."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Film reviews: The Phoenician Scheme, Bring Her Back, and Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
Feature A despised mogul seeks a fresh triumph, orphaned siblings land with a nightmare foster mother, and a Jane fan finds herself in a love triangle
-
Music reviews: Tune-Yards and PinkPantheress
Feature "Better Dreaming" and "Fancy That"
-
Withdrawing 529 plan funds for college? Here's what to know.
the explainer Maximize the amount you have stashed away for your education
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs