In our latest Washington Post column, Paul Goldman and I look at the Bush campaign’s embrace of Eric Cantor and others as state campaign chairmen and find it wanting — if not downright destructive:
The most recent national poll is clear: Jeb Bush, once seen as the front-runner, has a glaring weakness with voters describing themselves as moderately or strongly conservative. Among the tea party faithful, he actually polls behind former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore and eight other candidates. He only showed potential support among Republicans describing themselves as moderate or liberal.
Bush would have been smarter to wait until after Virginia’s November elections before choosing his symbolic campaign leaders. With the legislative contests over, he might have found several ambitious, young, conservative lawmakers willing to take leading positions alongside Cantor, Hager and James. This may still be the plan.
But right now, Bush has thumbed his nose at the most important GOP primary constituency. This hardly seems the best strategy for winning in the Virginia primary.
It is of a piece with the rudderless Bush campaign which, on its present trajectory, looks like it has more in common with his father’s 1980 run than his brother’s 2000 effort.
