Jeb Bush

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that could make a primary election for Texas land commissioner interesting. Not if Kinky Friedman were running. Not if Milton Friedman were running. Not if an underwater city of gold and vibranium and sweet crude oil were discovered on election eve 10 miles off…

George P. Bush, the Texas land commissioner and son of the former Florida governor and Donald Trump rival Jeb Bush, tweeted his unmistakable support for the president’s agenda on Tuesday, in response to an endorsement from Donald Trump, Jr. of his reelection campaign.

During the 2016 presidential primary campaign, Jeb Bush took to calling Donald Trump the “chaos candidate.” It didn’t seem to have much effect at the time, but Bush was prescient: The chaos candidacy is now the chaos presidency. And yet, as Henry Adams once wrote, while order is the dream of man,…

In mid-December, Jeb Bush announced his intention to explore a presidential bid. If he runs and wins the Republican nomination and then the election, he will be the third President Bush in 25 years. That unprecedented prospect has left many wondering: In a republic like ours, is it proper for one…

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush was quick to praise the president-elect's choice of Betsy DeVos for Education secretary when the transition team announced her nomination in November. And on Tuesday, the day of her confirmation hearing, he expounded his support for DeVos in USA Today, praising her…

Former President George W. Bush says every American citizen should vote in the presidential election, though he hasn't revealed whom he plans to vote for. But it won't be Donald Trump. We can be sure of that.

Cleveland

Donald Trump is explaining his recent loss in Colorado by once again blaming "the establishment" for introducing changes to Colorado's delegate-selection process that would secretly undermine his campaign. But contrary to Trump's conspiratorial claims, interviews with participants in the debates…

Jeb Bush is endorsing Texas senator Ted Cruz for president of the United States.

Los Angeles

As Jeb Bush exits the presidential race and Donald Trump marches on as the Republican frontrunner, it’s worth considering a counterfactual: Without Bush, would Trump's candidacy have even gotten off the ground?

Michael Steel, a Jeb Bush campaign spokesman, was asked at least four times whether Bush would drop out after the South Carolina primary:

The February 13 debate in South Carolina provided a clarifying moment for this year's GOP presidential race. Donald Trump claimed that the administration of George W. Bush had engaged in a massive conspiracy to mislead the world about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. "They lied," Trump…

The Jeb Bush campaign announced that former first lady Barbara Bush would again hit the campaign trail for her son. Barbara Bush is expected to do 2 meet and greets and a town hall.

Beaufort, S.C.

The latest Nevada poll finds that Donald Trump is dominating the early state with 45 percent. Jeb Bush, on the other hand, is at a mere 1 percent in the poll.

During a South Carolina town hall on Tuesday, Senator Lindsey Graham asked the audience, "how many of you are Democrats?" Jeb Bush raised his hand and smiled. Several audience members laughed.

Manchester, N.H.

Manchester, N.H.

Nashua, N.H.

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush called the frontrunner, Donald Trump, a "loser" this morning on MSNBC.

Back in November, the New York Times reported that Right to Rise, the super PAC that Jeb Bush established, had produced a video casting Marco Rubio as "ultimately unelectable because of his hard-line stand against abortion."

Bedford, N.H.

On Thursday, New Jersey governor Chris Christie attacked Florida senator Marco Rubio from the left on the issue of abortion.

Jeb Bush has been trying to jab Donald Trump for weeks; in debates, on the stump, in ads, and on billboards. If there's a kitchen sink somewhere, it probably has a "Jeb!" sticker on it. And he'd almost certainly fling it the Donald's way if he could.

If Jeb Bush badly loses in New Hampshire to Marco Rubio, the former Floriday governor "is toast." At least, that's what one high level Bush supporter, Lindsey Graham, said today in New Hampshire.

Florida governor Jeb Bush received 5,165 votes in Iowa. His vote total constitutes 2.8 percent of the Republican turnout, placing him in sixth place in the Iowa caucus.

Jeb Bush will be in Iowa through the weekend. But on Monday, the day of the Iowa caucus, the former Florida governor will fly to New Hampshire to hold a town hall.

There's one Republican candidate clearly ahead in New Hampshire, according to a new poll. And there are a lot of them slugging it out for second.

Over the weekend, Stephen Hayes pointed out that the Jeb Bush campaign has basically “cleared the way for Donald Trump" by spending an inordinate sum against Marco Rubio. Yesterday, from John McCormack, we saw the extent to which this effort has gone—an attack on Rubio's use of a Florida GOP credit…

When National Review unveiled its “Against Trump" issue on January 21, Jeb Bush celebrated the arrival of reinforcements. "Welcome to the fight, all. Trump is not a conservative," he tweeted.

A new poll this morning released by CNN finds that Jeb Bush is at 3 percent of the vote. Donald Trump, by contrast, leads the field with 39 percent.

The once-frontrunner in the presidential race, Jeb Bush, is now the anti-Donald Trump candidate. He began this new phase of his candidacy in Tuesday's Republican debate in Las Vegas. And in an appearance last night on Fox News' Hannity, Bush continued his broadsides against Trump:

The New York Times has a short article today that seems primed to cause maximum alarm, headlined, "Jeb Bush's Tax Plan Would Cause $8.1 Trillion Budget Hole, Analysis Finds."

There were a few weird moments at the debate last night, but none was stranger than the crowd reaction when John Kasich and Jeb Bush were talking about immigration. Both were unapologetically pro-amnesty. Neither bothered to make concessions about how problematic the breakdown of the rule of law is…

Donald Trump says he helped out his Republican rival Jeb Bush at Tuesday night's debate in Milwaukee. In an interview with Morning Joe Wednesday, host Joe Scarborough asked the reality TV star how he could unify the GOP after saying harsh things about Bush and other Republicans.

Tuesday night’s fourth Republican primary debate, held in Milwaukee, did little to change the dynamics of the presidential race.

Jeb Bush appears to be drawing some inspiration from the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. Indeed, at tonight's debate Bush ripped off an attack line Romney deployed against Obama in 2012.

The Marco Rubio campaign is predicting the Florida senator will deliver a knockout punch to former Florida governor Jeb Bush in Tuesday night's debate, according to one reporter at the Fox Business Network. Charles Gasparino said he's hearing confidence from the Rubio camp.

The New York Times reports that the "cash-rich group aiding Jeb Bush’s White House run has filmed a provocative video casting his rival Marco Rubio as ultimately unelectable because of his hard-line stand against abortion." 

The super PAC supporting former Florida governor Jeb Bush for president told the New York Times that it plans on using its resources to hit Florida senator Marco Rubio over his pro-life record as well as missed votes in the Senate. The Times reported Tuesday that Right to Rise, which has raised…

Reports indicate that Jeb Bush may ramp up his attacks on Marco Rubio in the coming days. So Rubio is responding by releasing a video of Bush praising him. 

Jeb Bush's campaign has long emphasized the importance of the 12 primary contests on March 1—nicknamed the "SEC primary" because several states have schools in the NCAA's Southeastern Conference. Bush has even campaigned at SEC football games, calling the appearances "SEC Tailgating with…

At some point, the most obvious explanation is rope-a-dope. 

Following Jeb Bush's campaign reset, the former Florida governor has expanded on his new "fix it" theme. Bush is focusing on how his experience and ideas make him the best candidate to fix Washington, D.C. 

The Martin O'Malley campaign has released this video, hitting Hillary Clinton for flip-flopping on gun policy:

Jeb Bush's campaign reboot is in full swing, as a video on the former Florida governor's official YouTube page indicates. The normally quiet Bush began shouting at a recent event that "the president has to lead."

The leading Republican presidential candidate in donor and establishment support is down to just four percent of the vote in a new national poll. Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, is in a far fifth place in the latest Quinnipiac poll, getting four percent and trailing Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio,…

Part of former Florida governor Jeb Bush's fifth campaign reboot is, apparently, media training for the candidate. Gabriel Sherman at New York magazine reports the Bush campaign has hired Jon Kraushar to help improve the Republican's image:

Last week, the New York Times rolled out a petty and somewhat meanspirited editiorial against Chris Christie and the rest of the Republican field. The gist of it is that, by running for president, Christie isn't spending as much time at home working for New Jersey as he ought to:

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with senior writer John McCormack on the Bush / Rubio battle royale and whether a waning Bush candidacy can take life.

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, coming off a poorly perceived debate performance last week and struggles in the polls, appeared in Tampa Monday morning to "reboot" his campaign. Bush will define this new campaign shakeup with a mantra that he wants to come to Washington to "fix it."

A former top aide to Marco Rubio has come out in support of Jeb Bush, according to a report published at floridapolitics.com.

Boulder, Colo.

In a post debate interview with CNN, Jeb Bush was obviously frustrated (though he denied it):

The Bush hit on Rubio was obviously premeditated, so it wasn’t gaffe or a mistake. It was a revealing measure of his political talent and judgment. Let’s count the ways in which it was strategically ill-conceived and tactically incompetent:

A new national poll of Republican primary voters finds retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson in the lead, overtaking reality TV star and New York businessman Donald Trump. The CBS News/New York Times poll found 26 percent of Republican primary voters polled support Carson, while 22 percent support Trump.…

It’s no secret that Donald Trump has contempt for Jeb Bush, some of it well-earned. And Trump’s recent remarks pointing out that “the World Trade Center came down” during George W. Bush’s “reign” have been rightly seen as a way to needle and flummox brother Jeb. In that, he’s been quite successful,…

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with Commentary's Noah Rothman on Donald Trump's candidacy and how he is upending the 2016 race, Jeb Bush's failure to defend, and the latest news on the attacks on Israel.

It has been clear for some time that Republicans need just two things in order to repeal Obamacare—a winning alternative and political willpower.  The jury is still out on how much of the latter the party possesses.  But when it comes to uniting around a well-conceived alternative that can pave the…

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has a habit of trying to have it both ways on the Iran nuclear deal

So far in this campaign, Jeb Bush hasn’t said anything particularly memorable (if, that is, memory serves) but now he has come out with something pithy and quotable and certain to please one half the electorate and infuriate the other.

Jeb Bush is qualifying some recent criticism of fellow Floridian and GOP rival Marco Rubio. Last week the former Florida governor said that the young senator does not have the “skills to fix things” as president. (See update below.)

The latest Pew poll shows that Jeb Bush has fallen to 4 percent in the Republican field. Donald Trump leads the field with 25 percent; Ben Carson is at 16 percent.

Two days after George W. Bush was inaugurated as president in 2001, his brother Jeb sent him a nine-page letter on the subject of yielding federal power in favor of state control.  Jeb Bush was still in his first term as governor of Florida at the time, but he knew the ties between Washington and…

Some Republican presidential candidate was sure to come along with a credible tax reform plan to erase tax loopholes, preferences, and special breaks, broaden the tax base, and lower rates. Now Jeb Bush has done it. This marks a departure point in the GOP race.

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with editor William Kristol on 2016, Jeb Bush, and Carly Fiorina. 

Say what you will about the Romney 2012 campaign, but Stuart Stevens is bright, perceptive, and candid—always worth listening to. So I was struck by his observation about Donald Trump during the course of an interview with New York magazine’s Gabriel Sherman: “For Donald Trump to win, everything we…

We heard today from an experienced campaign hand whose judgment we at TWS have come very much to respect:

This was a debate I thought would never end. It lasted for three hours and seemed like longer. We even learned from each of the eleven Republican presidential candidates whose face should be on the $10 bill. No blood was spilled, metaphorically speaking. There were no losers.

As Jeb Bush and Donald Trump were arguing, Scott Walker interjected:

It's fight night again and if the second GOP debate is anything like the first (no guarantees on that, by the way) then whatever happens tonight will shape the next several weeks of the race.

Here’s what I’d like to hear from each of the Republican presidential candidates in tonight’s nationally televised debate:

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with executive editor Fred Barnes on the upcoming GOP debate.

New polls of likely Republican voters in two early primary states show Donald Trump maintaining a solid lead for the presidential nomination. The CBS News/YouGov tracking polls in both Iowa and New Hampshire show the real-estate magnate and reality TV star with big leads in those states.

The American people believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. When pollsters ask whether the country is on the right or the wrong track, wrong track prevails by better than two to one. And the American people are right. We are going the wrong way: The economy isn’t strong, the…

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, came out swinging against several of the Republican candidates for president in a Thursday breakfast with reporters. The Florida congresswoman reserved most of her fire for her fellow Sunshine Staters, calling Marco Rubio a…

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush laid out details of his economic plan in North Carolina Wednesday, focusing primarily on how he would reform the tax code as president. The proposal, Bush said, would help achieve his stated goal of four-percent annual economic growth.

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush has announced the outline of his tax proposal in a new Wall Street Journal op-ed published Tuesday evening. Among Bush's proposals are three income-tax brackets (28 percent, 25 percent, and 10 percent), cutting the corporate tax rate to 20 percent, and eliminating…

The results of the latest straw poll of WEEKLY STANDARD readers are in. It's not a scientific poll, of course—but since the respondents are very perceptive WEEKLY STANDARD readers, I'm going to claim (why not?) that the results are a suggestive leading indicator of where the GOP race may be going.

A few people have asked me to elaborate on the thought I tried hurriedly to express at the end of the This Week roundtable. Here it is: Republicans have a problem, while Democrats have a crisis.

A new Monmouth poll of registered or leaning Republican primary voters nationally finds New York businessman Donald Trump continuing to lead in the crowded GOP field. Trump's support is at 30 percent, 4 points higher than he was in Monmouth's August poll and 17 points higher than in its July poll.

Comedian Stephen Colbert launches his version of The Late Show on CBS on September 8, and one of his first guests will be Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush. The Bush campaign was quick to turn the appearance into a fundraising opportunity. As the Associated Press reported, the campaign…

Jeb Bush has said Donald Trump "should be treated like the frontrunner" for the Republican nomination. On Tuesday, the Bush campaign continues to do just that with a short web video aimed squarely at the leading GOP contender's past "liberal" views on taxes, health care, and abortion as well as…

Donald Trump has a new online video ad that hits Republican rival Jeb Bush for the former Florida governor's statement that immigrating illegally to the United States is an "act of love." The ad, available on Trump's Instagram feed, features audio and video of Bush speaking about the issue of…

Norfolk, Va.

In apparent retaliation for Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush's statements critical of Planned Parenthood, the Democratic party has launched an attack on crisis pregnancy centers. A blog post on Democrats.org said that crisis pregnancy centers "have zero understanding of what women’s…

The most frequent words that come to mind when Americans think about Hillary Clinton are "liar" and "dishonest." That's according to a new national poll from Quinnipiac that asked more than 1500 registered voters to say the "first word" that comes to mind when they hear the Democratic presidential…

A new poll of "usual" Republican primary voters in New Hampshire gives Donald Trump his biggest lead yet in the Granite State. The Public Policy Polling survey found Trump with 35 percent support, a good 26-point advantage over the next closest GOP candidate, Ohio governor John Kasich at 11…

Donald Trump's presence in the Republican primary for president has not significantly damaged the other GOP presidential candidates with respect to Hispanic Americans. That's according to a new poll from Gallup that finds the New York businessman with a highly negative net favorability among…

What’s the matter with Jeb Bush? The establishment favorite and frontrunner in the fundraising primary can’t seem to catch a break. Bush’s performance in the August 6 debate in Cleveland was judged as mediocre at best. He’s dropped to number two in New Hampshire and is tied for sixth place in Iowa.…

If this was meant to be entertainment, all 10 Flying Wallendas refused to walk the high wire, none of the clowns got out of the tiny car, and the elephants just stood around relieving themselves.

Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has doubled his support in the Democratic presidential primary since June while frontrunner Hillary Clinton has seen her support among primary voters nationally drop by more than 20 points in that same time. That's according to a new poll from Fox News that shows…

Jeb Bush delivered a thoughtful and clear-eyed speech on Tuesday about the threat posed by ISIS and radical Islamic terrorism. It was a forward-looking speech that offered a compelling strategy to deal with this growing threat (something we haven’t heard from Hillary Clinton).

It was late last year when former Florida governor Jeb Bush mused that he might have to “lose the primary to win the general [election]” in 2016. Bush’s oddly phrased point was that rather than try to appeal to the most conservative voters in the GOP base, he’d instead hew to the center. That would…

Carly Fiorina says she disagrees with her Republican rival for president Donald Trump on the issue of Planned Parenthood. Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday that "we have to look at the positive also for Planned Parenthood" and said abortions were just a "small part" of what the…

Donald Trump is down nine points among Republican primary voters nationally, according to a post-debate poll from Rasmussen Reports. The real estate magnate and reality TV star still leads the crowded primary field, but with 17 percent support Trump is down nine points from Rasmussen's pre-debate…

A new poll of New Hampshire GOP primary voters conducted after the first presidential debate shows Donald Trump stumbling, and John Kasich and Carly Fiorina getting significant bumps in support. The poll from Franklin Pierce University and the Boston Herald finds Trump with 18 percent, which is…

In the days before the Fox News debate last week, Donald Trump said he wasn’t looking to attack any of his Republican rivals unless he was attacked. That’s changed, apparently.

Last night’s debate in Cleveland won’t change the course of the Republican presidential race. But it’s likely to affect individual candidates and how they’re viewed. Some gained, some faltered, some were unaffected.

Two Republican candidates for president have approached the politics of the controversy over Planned Parenthood in different and revealing ways.

Goffstown, N.H.

Manchester, N.H.

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, as well as Martin O'Malley and Ben Carson, will speak today at the National Urban League Conference in Florida. 

The Jeb Bush campaign announced today that the candidate's son, George P. Bush, will file his father's S.C. presidential paperwork.

A new national Quinnipiac University poll finds Donald Trump leading the crowded Republican presidential primary field with 20 percent support, even as 30 percent of registered Republican voters say there is "no way" they would support him for president. The New York reality TV star and real-estate…

Democrat Hillary Clinton is trailing some potential Republican opponents in three key swing states, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac, and doing about as well against the GOP as one of her rivals for the Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders.

Ames, Iowa

The latest Suffolk University/USA Today poll is likely spooking Republicans in Washington and eliciting cheers from Hillary Clinton headquarters. The poll finds Donald Trump leading the pack of GOP White House hopefuls with 17 percent support, with all the remaining candidates but Jeb Bush…

Businessman and TV personality Donald Trump tops the latest Suffolk University/USA Today poll of the Republican presidential primary. Trump has 17 percent support among likely GOP primary voters nationwide, edging out former Florida governor Jeb Bush with 14 percent. The remaining candidates earn…

As the news of the nuclear deal reached between the United States, its Western allies, and the Islamic Republican of Iran broke Tuesday morning, Republican presidential candidates were nearly unanimous in condemning the agreement.

Jeb Bush will no longer be talking about Donald Trump. Bush made the comments to Fox News' Bret Baier, in comments that aired today on Fox News Sunday:

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is weighing in on the debate whether the U.S. government should strike a deal with former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Some Republican leaders are sharply criticizing the Obama administration for establishing official diplomatic ties with Cuba, the Caribbean island nation that has been under the control of Communist dictator Fidel Castro and his brother Raul since 1959. A number of GOP presidential candidates and…

The best moment in Jeb Bush’s announcement speech last week wasn’t choreographed. As he spoke, a group of protesters rose from their seats. They wore T-shirts with “Legal Status Is Not Enough” emblazoned across the front and succeeded in interrupting Bush. The crowd yelled at the protesters as they…

In his run for the GOP nomination in 2000, George W. Bush successfully united establishment Republicans and social conservatives. As a Chamber-friendly evangelical who could speak honestly about how Jesus Christ “changed my heart,” Bush created an unbeatable coalition that energized the socially…

Both Florida Republicans running for president are tied for first among registered voters in their party, according to a new poll of the Sunshine State from Quinnipiac.

Jeb Bush looked relieved to say it. “I’ve decided I’m a candidate for president of the United States of America,” said the former Florida governor Monday afternoon. Standing on a stage at Miami Dade College, Bush let out an audible sigh immediately after the announcement as the crowd around him…

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with executive editor Fred Barnes on Jeb!'s 2016 efforts so far, and what he can do to improve.

Jeb Bush has released the following excerpts of his campaign announcement expected later this afternoon:

Jeb Bush readies to announce his presidential run:

Bob Woodward had some advice for his fellow reporters this morning on CNN: investigate Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton.

The Bush campaign is introducing Jeb to the country with this video ahead of tomorrow's announcement in Florida:

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with editor William Kristol on the House Democrats' rebuke of President Obama's trade deal, Hillary's island announcement, and how Hillary's candidacy hurts Jeb Bush's chances.

On MSNBC today, Washington Post reporter Janell Ross hinted that Jeb Bush was covering up a major family scandal -- but she offered no proof or explanation for her comments. Even the MSNBC host made an effort to distance herself and her network from the Post reporter's comments.

A new poll of Florida Republican primary voters finds a tightening race between the Sunshine State's two favorite sons in the 2016 GOP presidential primary. According to St. Leo University's Polling Institute, former governor Jeb Bush has 30 percent support among likely Republican primary voters in…

Scott Walker does not think he's the front runner in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Instead, the Wisconsin governor believes that title goes to the former Florida governor, Jeb Bush.

Jeb Bush, a probable Republican presidential candidate, got feisty in an interview with Fox News's Neil Cavuto earlier today in Florida:

Jeb Bush is underwater in a new poll of likely Republican caucus goers. The poll, which finds Scott Walker leading, was conducted by Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register.

Oklahoma City

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker said America should focus on the current challenges and problems faced in Iraq. Speaking on CBS's Face the Nation, Walker responded to a question from Bob Schieffer about potential 2016 rival Jeb Bush's difficult time answering questions about the 2003 invasion of…

Since announcing his candidacy for the president last month, Florida senator Marco Rubio has surged in the polls for the Republican nomination. He's now tied with Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and trails former Florida governor Jeb Bush by two points in the Real Clear Politics average of polls.…

For Jeb Bush and the issue of the Iraq War, the third time was the charm—but you wouldn’t know that from reading the headlines. Bush, the former Florida governor and brother of the president who took American troops into Iraq in 2003, had a difficult time explaining his position on the war this…

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush has stumbled in his effort to answer questions about the wisdom of invading Iraq, given intelligence failures revealed since his brother George W. Bush launched the war in 2003. Members of the media have taken the opportunity to ask other would-be or…

New Jersey governor Chris Christie told CNN's Jake Tapper Tuesday that it "wasn't" the right decision to go to war in Iraq, given what we know now about the intelligence failures leading up to the invasion in 2003.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz told Fox News' Megyn Kelly that knowing what he knows now, he wouldn't have supported going into Iraq. 

Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina was asked this morning on CNBC how she's different than Jeb Bush. "Everything about me is different," said Fiorina. 

Is there anything separating Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush on the question of what to do about the Iran deal? As with many issues, the distinction between the two Florida Republicans falls more in the realm of tone and emphasis than on policy.

David Catanese has a long profile of Jeb Bush in U.S. News & World Report. It’s well worth reading. But this line really stuck out:

A new poll of likely Iowa Republican presidential caucus goers finds a wide-open field with three candidates vying for the top spot and a plurality undecided. Scott Walker, the governor of neighboring Wisconsin, leads the latest poll from Loras College, earning 12.6 percent support. Florida senator…

Nowadays when you mention the book Profiles in Character to Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida and, as it happens, the coauthor of Profiles in Character, he immediately cracks wise.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a possible Republican presidential candidate, mocked Jeb Bush for being close to Democrat Hillary Clinton. 

Nashua, N.H.

Miami

Marco Rubio told ABC News's George Stephanopoulos that the United States is at a "generational moment"—a further sign the 43-year-old Republican senator will make his youth a focus of his presidential campaign against older candidates in both the primary and general election.

Martin O'Malley, a possible Democratic presidential candidate, took a shot at Hillary Clinton (and Jeb Bush and possibly Rand Paul) in an interview with MSNBC:

A front-page story in Tuesday’s Washington Post examines former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s record on ending affirmative action for college admissions. Through a 2000 executive order, Bush banned racial preferences in Florida’s public universities and colleges. The move was controversial at the…

As Kentucky senator Rand Paul gears up to launch a presidential campaign, the libertarian leaning Republican may have some problems getting social conservatives on board. Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, suggested in an interview that Paul’s brand of Republicanism doesn’t…

Several of the likely Republican candidates for president have spoken out in defense of Indiana governor Mike Pence and his decision to sign the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. CNN reports that several White House hopefuls, including Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, and…

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush will be a "special guest" speaker at the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference convention at the end of April. Bush, who is exploring a run for the White House, will attend the convention in Houston.

A new poll of New Hampshire GOP primary voters from the Boston Herald and Franklin Pierce University finds Jeb Bush and Scott Walker are tied at 15 percent support, with a slew of other likely candidates close behind in the first presidential primary of the cycle. Here's the Herald on the…

Des Moines

Martin O'Malley, a likely Democratic presidential candidate, took a shot this morning at Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, saying that the presidency is not a "crown" and need not "be passed between two families." Of course Clinton's husband Bill Clinton was president. And Bush's father, George H.W.…

Matthew Continetti, writing at the Washington Free Beacon, explains why Jeb Bush has a problem in his foreign policy adviser James Baker. Baker recently spoke at a conference for the left-wing group J Street. Here's an excerpt from Continetti's column:

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with senior editor Andrew Ferguson on the 2016 field, his recent cover story on Bush, and how Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz are faring so far.

A spokeswoman for former Florida governor Jeb Bush says the possible Republican presidential candidate "disagrees" with one of his foreign policy advisers who spoke at a left-wing anti-Israel group this week.

The consensus across America, and perhaps especially along the I-95 corridor, seems to be that Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton are on a nearly inevitable collision course, with one or the other poised to be declared president-elect on November 8, 2016. At a minimum, they are viewed as the…

Scott Walker may not be a candidate for president yet, but the Wisconsin governor’s growing political action committee staff is already going after a potential rival in the Republican primary. GOP strategist Liz Mair, CNN reports, has just signed on to consult for Walker’s Our American Revival PAC,…

A new poll from the Wall Street Journal and NBC News shows Florida senator Marco Rubio and Wisconsin governor Scott Walker have the most goodwill among Republican primary voters ahead of both men's possible bids for the presidency.

Dozing off as we pored through a raft of mostly meaningless polls this week, we were startled awake by one set of findings. The CNN/ORC survey released February 18 was The Weekly Standard’s own little fire bell in the night.

We've just finished tabulating the results an online poll conducted during the last week of WEEKLY STANDARD readers. They were given a chance to let us know who would be, as of now, their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices for the GOP presidential nomination. We want to thank the 3,700 readers who…

Over the past few days at CPAC, Sean Hannity has asked various prospective Republican presidential candidates to list their “top five agenda items.” Former governor Jeb Bush’s list did not include repealing Obamacare.

There will come a time when the survivor of the circular firing squad that is commonly known as the Republican primary debates will square off against Hillary Clinton. That survivor will have to grin and bear seeing multiple videos of his Republican opponents attacking him for one thing or another.…

By most accounts, former Florida governor Jeb Bush performed well (to some observers, “very, very” well) in his Friday appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington. The likely presidential candidate succeeded in defying expectations by receiving a warm reception at…

Some walked out of Jeb Bush's CPAC speech earlier today outside Washington, D.C.:

In a town hall in Miami, President Obama encouraged probable Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush to lobby folks in his party to support immigration reform:

Lindsey Graham is no one’s idea of a hot presidential candidate. Pulling in 1 percent support in the mid-February CNN/ORC International poll of prospective Republican nominees, he’s at the very bottom, alongside Carly Fiorina and Bobby Jindal. But South Carolina’s senior senator has an edge that…

Today, the Republican nomination process is a muddle. The Washington Post recently christened Jeb Bush the frontrunner, and for good reason. He is pulling in the top Republican talent -- the donors, consultants, and various policy advisors necessary to fund and run a top-notch campaign.

It’s still two years before the next president takes the oath of office, but the contest that will determine who raises his right hand that day started in earnest last month for Republicans, with a grassroots gathering in Iowa and a meeting of high-dollar donors in California.

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with executive editor Fred Barnes on the old school politics of Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush

Jeb Bush, a probable Republican presidential candidate, defended the "hugely important" NSA data collection program in a speech today in Chicago:

It was more than 20 years in the past that a Bush and a Clinton faced off against each other in a presidential election. Back in 1992, that was incumbent GOP president George Bush and his successful Democratic challenger Bill Clinton. Twenty-three years later, Bush's son Jeb and Clinton's wife…

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who is considering seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2016, will deliver a foreign policy address in Chicago Wednesday morning. Bush is expected to speak about his vision for how the United States can "regain its leadership in the world" and to…

Nothing like a quiet Sunday with the New York Times. Start with the sports section, as I do, hoping for an escape from the paper’s relentlessly liberal approach to what it calls news. No luck. It seems that James Dolan, owner of the Knicks and Madison Square Garden, host to this year’s All-Star…

Marco Rubio told radio host Hugh Hewitt that Jeb Bush entering the presidential race doesn't hold him back from running:

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with senior writer Stephen F. Hayes on Scott Walker's path to the 2016 GOP nomination.

Jonathan Easley of The Hill writes:

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker leads an early poll of New Hampshire Republican primary voters, NH1 reports:

Jeb Bush had fighting words at his Wednesday speech at the Detroit Economic Club. The former Florida governor, who is actively thinking of running for president, said he was down for a rumble—at least, if anyone tried to say a bad word about his father, George H.W. Bush.

Having followed Romney around in both 2008 and 2012, I was always convinced that the odds of him running in 2016 were high. For one thing, the man has a decades-long history of running for office, over and over, even after voters reject him. He’s a career politician without a “career” in politics.…

Donald Trump says he's once again considering a presidential run. He told MSNBC this morning that he'll make a decision in the next three months:

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with editor William Kristol on terrorism abroad, and Jeb Bush's 2016 pitch.

Now that Republican Jeb Bush has made all the noises of a man running for president, expect the former governor of Florida to be attacked for trying to save the life of Terri Schiavo.

Jeb Bush is considering running for president in 2016, but he might have run in 2008 if not for the reasonable belief the country wouldn't elect brothers to the White House successively.

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with staff writer Michael Warren on Jeb Bush's announcement.

Michael Warren, staff writer at THE WEEKLY STANDARD, responds to Jeb Bush's announcement that he's exploring a presidential run:

Jeb Bush just announced that he's exploring "the possibility of running for President of the United States." Here's his statement:

Perhaps Jeb Bush isn't running for president. At least, recent activity suggests it's less likely that he'll run than the Florida governor has let on.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Neil Bush says his brother should run for president of the United States. "I personally would like to see him do it," Neil Bush says.

It's still a year and a half before the first presidential primaries of 2016, but Gallup has a new survey out asking Republicans and Democrats about the potential GOP candidates. Analyzing those candidates' familiarity and favorability among Republicans, Gallup has discovered the best known and…

A self-described nerd, he is known to travel with policy journals and send all-hours inquiries to think tanks … … an intellectual in search of new ideas, a serial consulter of outsiders who relishes animated debate and a probing manager who eagerly burrows into the bureaucratic details. The…

Writing in the Daily Beast, Mark McKinnon argues that a Hillary/Jeb contest in 2016 would be good for the nation.  (Not to mention, good for business.)  His arguments amount to the usual pap, made without much rigor or, even, conviction. That is, Hillary & Jeb are both experienced. Not too…

In the two days since Jeb Bush’s interesting and provocative interview with Fox News reporter Shannon Bream, many commentators and analysts have parsed his words and offered thoughts on what they mean for a prospective 2016 presidential bid. There’s a good reason for this interest. Bush is a…

Bill Kristol made the argument that Jeb Bush will not be the next Republican presidential nominee:

Jeb Bush says that he'll "make up" his "mind at the end of this year" on whether he's running for president in 2016:

Jeb Bush will not be at next month's Conservative Political Action Conference. Instead, he'll be going on a "business trip."

Bobby Jindal is outraged over a Department of Justice lawsuit against a Louisiana school voucher program. The suit, which he (repeatedly) calls “cynical, immoral, and hypocritical” and the “worst misuse” of federal desegregation laws, aims to stop a program that allows poor students in failing…

The 2016 presidential primary season doesn't begin for another two and half years, and a new poll from Rasmussen shows there's no consensus among Republican primary voters about the preferred candidate. Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, leads the poll of 1000 likely primary voters with 21…

The Internet had a conniption last week when Jeb Bush spoke at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference and made the following remark:

Immigration Wars has gotten a lot of attention because of its proposal to offer undocumented immigrants permanent legal resident status in lieu of citizenship—and because of Jeb Bush’s subsequent walking it back and expressing a willingness to support some kind of a path to citizenship for…