Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is planning to air his campaign’s first television advertisements for the Republican presidential nomination starting tomorrow. It will come as little surprise that he is targeting voters in the key primary state of New Hampshire, where his performance so far has been very disappointing.
Early this year, Bush was the frontrunner in New Hampshire, pulling in 18 percent of the projected vote in a February NBC News/Marist poll that included challengers like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. By July, after real estate mogul Donald Trump entered the race, Bush’s support had slipped to 14 percent, putting him second after Trump, who had 21 percent at the time.
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However, rather than see his numbers stabilize against the obstreperous billionaire, Bush has watched as they continued to tumble. The same NBC News/Marist poll taken last week found that by early September, Bush’s support had dropped even further, to 8 percent. That put him in fourth place behind not only Trump but also Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
In taking to the airwaves, Bush is flexing the financial muscle that gives him a significant edge over other candidates. While others might prefer to conserve resources for a push later in the race, Bush is dropping half a million dollars in ads on Boston-based WMUR television, which broadcasts into New Hampshire, as well as on cable television in the Granite State.
While it may seem like a trivial sum in an age of billion-dollar presidential campaigns, half a million dollars will buy significant airtime in New Hampshire for Bush’s first effort, a 30-second spot entitled “I’ve Delivered.”
According to the campaign, the ad will run from September 9 to September 29, with 15 percent of the budget dedicated to online streaming.
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In the spot, which you can see below, Bush is shown speaking to workers in factories as he reads a script that obliquely attacks Trump and some of his other rivals while recounting a record of accomplishments like tax-cutting and budget-balancing designed to appeal to a conservative Republican primary electorate.
“We have an important choice to make about the direction of our country,” Bush begins, speaking directly to the camera. “If you want more DC politicians or more self-promoters, you've got options. I'm offering something different: leadership, ideas and a proven conservative record. As governor, I cut taxes, cut spending, balanced budgets and Florida led the nation in job creation. Anybody can talk. I've delivered and I hope to earn your support.
By stressing his record as governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007, Bush is in part trying to draw a sharp contrast between himself and two of the men running ahead of him in the Granite State: Trump and Carson. Neither of them has ever held elective office or served in the government in any capacity.
The very fact that Bush felt the need to refer, even indirectly, to Trump in his ad (the “self-promoters” he mentions clearly have Trump at their head) speaks to the degree to which the billionaire has knocked Bush off his game. From early indications, Bush had been expected to conduct a policy-heavy campaign, running as a deep-thinking policy wonk – a sharp contrast with his brother, former President George W. Bush, who was known for going with his “gut” on some major issues.
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Now, though, it’s not his brother’s checkered record that Bush is having to cope with – it’s a bile-spewing billionaire whose command of the media’s attention results in his winning more free airtime than anyone else in the race. Bush has become more aggressive on the stump, attacking Trump directly at times.
The decision to start airing ads in New Hampshire may be the first sign that Bush is escalating his anti-Trump strategy beyond just talk.
