Jeb Bush has lost his frontrunner status and now rivals say he's getting nasty

Overall, the operatives who talked with Business Insider said they thought Bush was abandoning efforts to run a positive, above-the-fray campaign. Last year, when he began publicly discussing a potential candidacy, Bush vowed to have a “hopeful, optimistic message” and said he would campaign with “joy in my heart.” This month, however, Bush has launched a series of attacks on his Republican rivals that some observers have pegged as a sign of a strategic shift.

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The operative suggested naming Diaz as his campaign manager was further indication of a more aggressive strategy by Bush.

“Putting one of the best opposition research guys in the business in charge is a dramatic change from Jeb’s previous ‘joyful’ message,” the operative said. “This is essentially going back to square one and scrapping the original strategy they touted at the beginning of the year.”

An aide for another rival Republican presidential campaign echoed the notion Bush was changing course and attributed it to disappointing poll numbers.

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