Bush name isn’t magic in Texas this time around

Third in a series of reports on the chief presidential contenders in Texas’ March 1 primary.

When it unfolded five months ago, Jeb Bush’s presidential operation in Texas displayed the hallmarks of a political behemoth, boasting money, prestigious endorsements and, most notably, ties to a famous political dynasty.

Yet, just as he has nationwide, the Midland-born son and brother of two presidents from Texas has struggled to gain traction in his native state, watching from back in the pack as Ted Cruz and Donald Trump jockey for the lead among Texas Republicans.

In a straw poll of Tarrant County Republicans last weekend, the former Florida governor finished sixth with 3.10 percent. Cruz placed first with nearly 40 percent followed by Trump with 27 percent. Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and Ben Carson, all in single digits, polled ahead of Bush.

A KTVT/Dixie Strategies Texas poll last week put Cruz in the lead with a 5-point edge over Trump and placed Bush in fourth with 8 percent behind Rubio, who was third.

Bush’s struggles in Texas mirror those he has faced elsewhere and have been attributed to a number of factors, including a lackluster showing in the debates, so-called Bush fatigue, and an angry grassroots intolerance toward perceived establishment candidates like the former governor.

Nevertheless, despite the adversities, many of Bush’s top strategists and supporters in Texas echo his assertions that he can secure his footing and ultimately rebound in the long marathon of Republican primaries and caucuses. The March 1 primary in Texas, which dominates more than a dozen Super Tuesday contests that day, is seen as critical to that long-term strategy.

While Bush and the entire Republican field are focused on Monday’s first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, as well as the quick succession of early contests in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, the Texas director of Bush’s campaign said Bush operatives and volunteers are “working the ground as hard and diligently as we can” to build strength in Texas.

“It’s a very important state to our campaign, and we’re definitely focused on it,” said Ash Wright, 34, a former political director of the Republican Party of Texas. “We feel like it’s moving along really well here.”

Next generation

To a large degree, the face of the Jeb Bush campaign in Texas is that of his 39-year-old son, state Land Commissioner George P. Bush, a former Fort Worth resident who is the campaign’s state chairman and has campaigned for his father in Texas and other key states. Wright was political director in Bush’s 2014 Land Commission campaign.

The older members of the Bush clan have also helped out, though in a more low-key way. Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and former first ladies Barbara Bush and Laura Bush are all listed as contributors to the Jeb Bush campaign, each donating $2,700, the maximum allowed.

The former first couples retired to Texas after their days in the White House. George W. Bush, who was Texas governor in the 1990s, has spoken in his brother’s behalf at private fundraisers in Texas and elsewhere, at one point making headlines when word leaked out that he openly said he doesn’t like Cruz.

There has been speculation that the former presidents may take a more public role, including appearances along with the 2016 presidential candidate, when the race reaches Texas, but campaign officials say they are unaware of any such plans.

Even before he officially entered the race on June 15, the 62-year-old former two-term Florida governor was portrayed as a kind of favorite son in Texas because of his roots in a state where both his father and his brother built successful professional and political careers. He was born in Midland in 1953 and graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Latin American studies before moving to Florida in the 1980s.

Many in the state’s Republican elite were quick to embrace his candidacy through endorsements and maximum donations that have made Texas his fourth-largest source of funds after Florida, New York and California. Bush has raised $2.3 million in Texas, second only to Cruz’s $9.1 million among Republican candidates.

Big-name backing

More than 160 prominent Texas names grace a list of endorsements released by the campaign, including Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, former U.S. Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers and billionaire Dallas developer Ross Perot Jr. Wealthy Fort Worth backers include Charlie and Kit Moncrief and Mercedes Bass, who contributed $2,700 apiece.

The bulk of the 155 delegates from Texas will be awarded proportionately from each of the state’s 36 congressional districts, and Wright says the Bush campaign is thus approaching the Texas contest as 36 individual battlegrounds, fielding aggressive vote-getting efforts in each district. Congresswoman Kay Granger of Fort Worth and Arlington Councilman Robert Rivera, a close friend of George P. Bush, chair congressional district campaigns in North Texas.

Another Bush strategist is Austin public affairs consultant Ray Sullivan, a longtime loyalist of Gov. Rick Perry who became a volunteer adviser to Bush’s Texas campaign after Perry abandoned his second presidential bid in September.

Sullivan, a veteran of four presidential campaigns, said he believes that Bush has what it takes to win, including “deep roots and strong ties” in mega-states like Texas and Florida as well as the “organization and resources to stay active and energized through a long campaign.”

Hispanic vote

The campaign is also focused heavily on tapping into the potent Hispanic vote, accenting Bush’s ties to the Latino community. Bush speaks fluent Spanish and his wife of nearly 42 years, Columba Bush, is a naturalized citizen from Mexico. George P. Bush identifies himself as a Latino and is co-founder of Hispanic Republicans of Texas, which was organized to propel more Latinos into public office.

Fort Worth political consultant Juan Hernandez, another co-founder of the Hispanic Republicans of Texas, serves on Jeb Bush’s Hispanic advisory board and says the candidate has the potential to surpass his brother’s 40 percent-plus showing among the Hispanic electorate.

Hernandez said he’s “excited” about Bush’s candidacy and believes that the former governor stands tall in two of the three “M’s” needed for electoral success — money and message.

The third M is momentum, and, Hernandez says, “That’s what Jeb needs to get.”

This story was originally published January 30, 2016 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Bush name isn’t magic in Texas this time around."