As he’s trying to firm up his sagging donor network, Jeb Bush’s campaign team is making it clear they view Sen Marco Rubio as his chief threat. So the Bush squad plans to start taking the battle to his fellow Floridian.
As TIME magazine reports about the Bush camp:
But its most pointed critique was of Rubio’s qualifications for office, coming just weeks after Bush himself said Rubio didn’t have a track record of accomplishment. “We need to offer a contrast to the current President. Hillary will pitch competence and experience.
In effect, they appear to want to label Rubio as both Obama 2.0 and a loser to Hillary Clinton in a general election.
Marco is a GOP Obama,” the presentation stated in a preview of a possible general election match-up next November.
“Rubio and President Obama have strikingly similar profiles,” it continues, “first-term senators, lawyers and university lecturers, served in part-time state legislatures for eight years, had few legislative accomplishments, and haven’t shown much interest in the process of advancing legislation and getting results.”
And the line of attack doesn’t stop there.
The aides argued that in a match-up against Clinton, Bush would win according to a September Quinnipiac University poll, and win a higher percentage of the Hispanic vote than Rubio.
They now appear ready to go after Marco Rubio on multiple fronts.
Another slide, titled “those closest to Marco choose Jeb,” notes that Bush has cleaned up among Florida lawmaker endorsements, while Rubio has struggled to win over support.