Voters in South Carolina are still undecided one day before the statewide primary elections, GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush said Friday, and he believes the polls are "kind of irrelevant now."
"As a candidate, it's unnerving, but we have people coming to our town hall meetings saying, 'I was for Trump, after hearing you speak, I'm for you,'" the former Florida governor told
MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program.
"I feel good about where we are so we'll find out on Saturday."
At the same time, he said it would be a "heck of a victory" if he comes out ahead of his former protégé, Marco Rubio, in the primary election, "given the fact that he's basically been coronated in this political process all the way through."
But even if he places low in Saturday's primary election, Bush said that he intends to move forward, although for now he's focused on the weekend, not what happens on Sunday or Monday.
"We're on the ballot in every state," said Bush. "I'll make my case that I'm ready to be president from day one. I have detailed plans to lift us out of the funk that exists right now and that I can change the culture in Washington, D.C."
Bush also commented on Pope Francis' comments on rival GOP candidate Donald Trump's Christianity, saying that it "was probably inappropriate" for him to intervene during a contested primary.
"I don't question Donald Trump's Christianity, that's between him and his Creator," said Bush. "The fact is, he's got the wrong policy, building a wall and making Mexico pay for it isn't a policy.
"That's an emotion, a sentiment that tries to appeal to people's anxious and frustration and anger. The Pope is right about that, but I don't think he should interject himself into the political arena."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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