Jeb Bush
The former Florida governor has instant name identification and gobs of money, but he has struggled to claim the front-runner mantle as he deals with his family legacy and positions at odds with the conservative GOP base. He has swung through Georgia multiple times for fundraisers and to court influential party figures, including a quick Atlanta stop in late June. Bush is one of four current and former governors who helped Gov. Nathan Deal’s re-election effort in 2014 and thus has earned Deal’s split endorsement for president.
Over the first half of the year, Bush’s campaign received 156 donations from Georgia for a total of $319,603.
Bush’s super PAC, Right to Rise, took in 266 donations from Georgia in the first half of the year for a total of $2.84 million.
Notable donors: Coca-Cola Enterprises CEO John Brock; Richard Jackson, the CEO of Jackson Healthcare in Alpharetta; Robin Loudermilk Jr., the former CEO of Aaron’s; Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus; former U.S. Sen. Mack Mattingly; former U.S. Ambassador to Australia Robert McCallum; former U.S. Senate candidate Guy Millner; GOP fundraiser Eric Tanenblatt; Philip Wilheit Sr., a close ally of Gov. Nathan Deal’s.
Bush ranked second in the national polls Fox News used to select participants in Thursday’s first GOP presidential debate of the campaign.
Bush quick hits
Biggest applause line: It’s all backward. It’s all upside down. Our friends should know we have their back and our enemies should fear us.”
Sharpest jab at a Republican: “What Donald Trump said is wrong. That’s not how we win elections.”
Sharpest jab at a Democrat: “We need to be united. Because Hillary Clinton is going to be Barack Obama’s third term on economic policy.”
It’s no secret that the typical RedState Gathering attendee is not Jeb Bush’s core constituency, but the former Florida governor on Saturday received sustained praise from the 700 people in the audience for his speech.
Bush went heavy on policy, touching on reforms of Washington ethics, energy and foreign policy.
But, while answering questions from RedState host Erick Erickson, Bush safely navigated immigration and Common Core, two topics that had been land mines for him with many conservatives.
Bush said the 11 million people in the country illegally should be allowed to “earn” legal status. That means they “pay a fine, get a provisional work permit. They don’t earn federal money, they pay taxes, they learn English.”
The alternative — deporting them — would cost $400 billion to $600 billion over 20 years and “will disrupt community life.”
“I”m going to stand on that and believe it, and if people don’t, that’s fine,” Bush said.
Erickson said Bush has previously explained his position on Common Core, but he asked the presidential hopeful to explain his stance on education standards.
“Standards need to be high,” Bush said. “They need to be higher. We spend more per student. We end up with dismal results because we dumbed down curriculum.”
Bush touted his work to expand school choice as governor and said nearly all the advancements that need to be made in education should come from the states, not Washington.
The crowd reacted with appreciative, impressed — but not fervent — applause.
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