Jeb Bush to Campaign in Iowa

Republican Jeb Bush will campaign in Iowa and participate the the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus, according to multiple reports.

“I just got off the phone with Jeb Bush,” [Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff] Kaufmann said. “I can certainly tell you that he’s coming to Iowa to campaign and play in the caucus.”

The Wall Street Journal first reported Bush’s call to Kaufmann. Previous reports had indicated Kaufmann had heard from every presumed candidate except for Jeb.

Some GOP strategists have speculated that the former Florida governor might skip the state and focus his efforts instead on another primary down the line, perhaps in New Hampshire, where the early voting electorate can be more favorable to establishment candidates.

Bush will not be joining a host of other GOP contenders in Iowa this weekend for the cattle call of contenders at the Iowa Freedom Summit.

Others who appear ready to play in Iowa include Sen. Ted Cruz, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and Ben Carson.

Regarding Jeb Bush, Kaufmann added, “I got the distinct impression that, if he jumps into this race officially … there’s going to be no skipping Iowa for him, I can assure you. He was very strong in his comments about Iowa and his memories. We talked a lot about his memories when he was campaigning out here.”