One day following John Kasich’s filing, supporters of Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign have announced plans to file over 10,000 petition signatures supporting Jeb’s ballot access for Virginia’s March 1st Republican presidential primary.
Jeb’s filing, planned for later today, demonstrates substantial grassroots support across the Commonwealth while offering a powerful rebuttal to critics claiming his campaign is all television, with few supporters on the ground.
“This is an impressive feat and is possible because Jeb has a strong grassroots network of Virginia volunteers, which will be essential to winning the primary here in the commonwealth on March 1,” explained former Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, who lent his support to Bush following Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s exit from the race in September.
“I am humbled to have the support of so many grassroots activists here in Virginia,” responded Jeb in a statement. “The Commonwealth will help decide the next president, and I plan to compete here. Thank you to all of the Virginia volunteers that spent countless hours gathering signatures.”
Jeb’s campaign has made Virginia a priority on the campaign trail, making numerous visits, including one in which he helped the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus raise the money needed to maintain the GOP’s leadership of the chamber in November’s tough elections.
Jeb has assembled a well-connected campaign infrastructure in Virginia, enlisting the support of Republican leaders Eric Cantor, Kay Cole James, Jerry Kilgore, John Hager, and others.
The campaign has announced that Kilgore and Hager will be personally delivering Jeb’s 10,000 signatures to Virginia’s election officials at 3 PM today.
In recent weeks, Jeb’s campaign has been working to reverse his decline in the polls, as political outsiders continue to maintain momentum and dominate the media attention it generates.
One theme has stood out from the rest: foreign policy.
During his solid, on-message performance at the November 10th Fox/WSJ Republican debate, Jeb struck an assertive tone on foreign policy while confronting Trump, declaring to loud applause, “We’re not going to be the world’s policeman, but we sure as heck better be the world’s leader.”
“Without us leading, voids are filled. The idea that it’s a good idea for Putin to be in Syria, let ISIS take out Assad, and then Putin will take out ISIS – that’s like a board game,” Bush continued, echoing Republican concerns over the growing strength of ISIS. “That’s like playing Monopoly or something. That’s not how the real world works. We have to lead. We have to be involved.”
Days later, Bush’s call for a stronger foreign policy would ultimately be vindicated, when ISIS-linked terrorists brought their brand of ghastly horror to Paris, France, killing 129 in Western Europe’s worst terrorist attack since Jihadists murdered 191 in the 2004 train bombings in Madrid.
Growing Republican concerns over foreign policy and national security will work in Jeb’s favor, as voters weary of the deterioration of world security under President Obama’s soft, hands-off approach yearn for bolder American leadership upon the world stage.
Few can forget Jeb’s strongest moment at CNN’s September debate, during a pointed exchange with Trump. The back-and-forth began when Jeb criticized Trump for supporting Hillary Clinton’s negotiations with Iranian leadership. Deflecting, Trump blamed George W. Bush for the election of President Obama, before Jeb confidently ended the exchange.
“As it relates to my brother, there’s one thing I know for sure – he kept us safe,” responded Jeb. “I don’t know if you remember, Donald. You remember the rubble? You remember the firefighter with his arms around him? He sent a clear signal that the United States would be strong and fight Islamic terrorism.”
Jeb’s campaign continued its assertive foreign policy message by releasing a video contrasting his statements with those of Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
Don’t count Jeb out of the fight just yet. Combined with a sizable war chest, his grassroots network is growing as he continues opening up on the campaign trail, displaying a new enthusiasm which is anything but “low energy.”
