Jeb Bush announced his candidacy for presidency Monday. About time, if you ask us.
The former Florida governor has been dragging his feet, collecting funds and “testing the waters” for an announcement that many of us have long since predicted in Florida. I’m sure we all had a good laugh earlier this month when he told CBS that his candidacy was up in the air.
Well, it’s out in the open now, and it’s our job to editorialize the matter.
In an announcement at Miami Dade College, he touted his history as Florida’s governor and bragged at some length regarding his achievements therein. While we at the Alligator are always happy to support the local team, we can’t help but feel that Bush might be walking in his family’s governmental shadows and swimming about as another big name in the sea of ones making up the Grand Old Party candidates thus far, including the likes of Bobby Jindal, Ted Cruz and other old and bleached candidates.
Forgive us if the last comment seems unfair, but seriously, try scrolling down the GOP candidate list. The Democrats list isn’t much better, but at least Morrison Bonpasse has an impressive beard to distract us.
We digress — Bush’s record in Florida has been very well received by his home state.
There is a good chance, like it or not, that some voters are going to look at Bush and his conservative background and see little more than a Bush 3.0, which, while unfair, is a reality he’ll need to work around if he wants to make progress on the matter. Some people might see him as an example of a tried-and-tested leader, but others might see his claim as an entitled grab for the president’s seat. The Bush name may very well be both a blessing and a curse to our latest GOP candidate.
In any case, let’s see how he stacks up in a broad sense over a fellow Floridian.
His gubernatorial past may give him an edge over fellow candidate Marco Rubio, who announced his candidacy about two months ago. Both men have strong ties to their native state, but you could argue to some extent Rubio’s ties to Florida’s large Cuban population give him the edge in getting minority support.
Once again, Bush previously served as governor, but Rubio is currently a senator, and Bush hasn’t been too politically prolific since his term ended nearly a decade ago in 2007.
Nonetheless, he was still one of the most popular Florida governors in the past 30 years, at least according to a January Mason-Dixon poll.
Still, an uncontested reason why the GOP lost the last election was a choice to ignore the Hispanic vote.
While Bush’s been making announcements and forays all over to bridge the divide, he may simply not be half as attractive as Rubio, whose experiences are just an edge more of a cultural link.
Who'll be taking the votes? You'll decide.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 6/16/15]
