The struggling Jeb Bush campaign believes he only needs to have a decent showing in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary to push ahead to the next crucial contest in South Carolina,
Politico reports.
"Jeb's network in South Carolina is just as strong as the other three candidates who are likely to survive," one unnamed Bush donor tells the news outlet. "He just has to get there."
Many Bush donors have signaled they'll switch their support to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio if the former Florida governor doesn't beat him, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the Granite State, Politico reports.
"People feel like they've given him a lot of time," one unnamed Bush bundler based in Washington tells Politico. "His issue set should be appealing in New Hampshire, so hard to make the case [to go forward] if he finishes behind those other establishment guys."
But according to Politico, the Bush campaign doesn't believe the candidate needs a second-place finish in order to press ahead in South Carolina, where the team plans to bus in canvassers from Florida and bring in former President George W. Bush.
Meanwhile, Bush has the best ground operation of any campaign in New Hampshire and is hoping a trend of late-deciders will help fuel a good showing in the vote, Politico reports.
"This is an ongoing, personal conversation we've been having with voters," said Rich Killion, the operative overseeing Bush's campaign in the state. "The people of New Hampshire are deeply sophisticated; they cherish their vote and really process information and it takes them a long time."
But Drew Cline, the former editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union-Leader who is backing Rubio, tells Politico, "I just don't see who commits to Jeb who isn't committed to him already."
Bush is lagging in fifth place in an average of polling in New Hampshire by
Real Clear Politics, with around 10 percent support, behind front-runner Donald Trump, who averaging 31.6 percent, Rubio at 14.6 percent, Crux at 13 percent and Kasich at 12.4 percent.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.