Supporters have undertaken a massive effort code-named "Homeland Security" to keep what would be a major embarrassment from happening: losing the state he governed from 1999 to 2007, according to the New York Times.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has his eyes on the White House, a place where his father and his brother have held office. But in order to get there, it’s almost certain he’ll have to at least win the state where he governed for years — and that’s no guarantee.
It would be a massive embarrassment for Bush to lose the state, which has traditionally been a battleground that has determined elections — most notably in 2000, when his brother won the presidency over just a handful of votes in the state. But it’s no slam dunk, even for Bush — and losing the state may kill his presidential bid.
A confidential plan known as “Homeland Security” within the Bush camp is hard at work on a huge operation that would make sure Florida sticks with him during his presidential campaign, according to a New York Times report.
The plan would seek to deal with two threats to Bush’s presidency: the Florida-based Republican senator Marco Rubio, who is also likely to seek the nomination, and the risk that the state could turn to a Democratic candidate.
President Barack Obama carried the state in both of his victorious elections, and Bush will turn his focus and his resources to the state he governed from 1999 to 2007.
If he can’t win it, even supporters acknowledged a presidential bid would be tough to win, even for Bush, who is an early frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
According to the Times report, Bush could shell out $50 million between now and Election Day to lock up campaign donors and political operatives in the state, offering them goodies such as face time and contracts.
Bush has been known to keep his friends and advisers in the state close, even after he left office in 2007, apparently always having a presidential bid on his mind. He has worked hard to nurture the relationships, the Times reported, which may pay dividends in the 2016 presidential race.
But Bush has a lot of opponents he’ll have to duke it out with. Besides Rubio, there’s also presidential candidates like Ben Carson and even Mike Huckabee, who resides in the state although he formerly governed Arkansas.
Bush is himself a native Texan who adopted Florida as his home int he 1980s, and losing the state he has spent so much time building connections in would be devastating to his campaign — and his supporters appear to be intent on pulling out all the stops to make sure that doesn’t happen.
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