Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker took a direct shot at Jeb Bush’s electoral prospects on Friday, saying the former Florida governor is like other failed establishment candidates that came before him.
“We had Bob Dole, John McCain, Mitt Romney,” Walker said in an interview with Adam C. Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. “If it’s just whoever’s next up, that hasn’t worked so well for the Republican Party in the past.”
“Jeb’s a good man,” Walker continued. “You’re not going to hear me speak ill will of Jeb. He’s a friend of mine, He called me two days before (announcing) his PAC, I think highly of him. I just think voters are going to look at this and say, ‘If we’re running against Hillary Clinton, we’ll need a name from the future, not a name from the past, to win.’ ”
Walker and Bush have emerged as the early front-runners in the big field of potential GOP contenders. A McClatchy-Marist poll released earlier this month showed Bush in the lead with 19 percent support among Republican voters, followed by Walker at 18 percent. The next closest candidate was former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 10 percent.
Bush and Walker have overlapping trips to New Hampshire this weekend as they seek to gain support from voters, party leaders and donors in the critical first-in-the-nation primary state.
None of the potential GOP contenders have had to release the fundraising figures for their leadership PACs yet, but media reports indicate that Bush is lapping the field, with Walker in hot pursuit.
Walker told the Tampa Bay Times that he expects Bush will lead the field in early fundraising because some influential Republicans owe the Bush family for past favors.
“He’ll have by far the biggest report,” Walker said. “There’s a lot of people who are loyal to that family because of an ambassadorship or an appointment or something like that, so those people are going to show up big on his first report. What we’re hoping going forward are not donors of obligation but donors of passion, people who are passionate about the reforms we bring to the table.”