A $30 million television blitz by the super PAC supporting his campaign, Right to Rise—the biggest investment by a single entity in the 2016 race—has barely registered nationwide or in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the states leading the nominating battle. The latest Quinnipiac University poll pegged his Iowa support at just 4%.
That poll and others are defying predictions by Mr. Bush’s allies that after the terrorist attacks in Paris, voters would gravitate toward the policy-driven former Florida governor and away from businessman Donald Trump, prompting a fresh round of hand-wringing and second-guessing.
“We know that Gov. Bush is the adult in the room and the one with a proven record, but unfortunately the country doesn’t seem to care,” said Mike Fernandez, a Miami billionaire who donated more than $3 million to Right to Rise and visited Iowa and other states to see Mr. Bush’s campaign. “The reality is that after a few months, if you see a strategy is not responding, you need to adjust it.”…
“I just don’t think this is his year,” said retired nurse Sharon Gilbert, though she praised Mr. Bush’s intellect and leadership. “We need new blood to beat Hillary Clinton. It’s nothing personal.”
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