Jeb Bush will make his first overtures Friday to conservative activists, a segment of the Republican Party that remains skeptical of the presumptive presidential candidate.
The former Florida governor’s appearance at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington marks an early test of whether he can assuage a grassroots base that rejects his support for immigration reform and Common Core education standards and is leery of his political lineage.
Given the choice by conference organizers, Bush has opted for a question-and-answer session instead of a traditional speech. Bush’s advisers believe the format plays to the strengths of the former Florida governor, who has been been deft in extemporaneous exchanges with audiences during early appearances this year but whose delivery during speeches—with and without teleprompters—has been rushed and uneven. Bush is scheduled to take questions for 20 minutes Friday afternoon from Fox commentator Sean Hannity.
Behind the Scenes of CPAC
Peter Dudziak of John, Minnesota attends CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2014.Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMENine year old Thomas H. from Virginia at his first CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015.Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMESarah Palin at the 42nd annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, MD on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEDr. Ben Carson gives a speech to open Thursday's session at CPAC in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMETimothy Flynn from New York City poses in an American flag jacket at CPAC in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMERick Santorum takes a selfie with a supporter at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEA Rand Paul supporter at CPAC in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMERand Paul speaks at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015.Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMESen. Ted Cruz shakes hands with a Sarah Palin supporter at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEA reporter asks attendees to choose their favorite candidate at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMECPAC attendees listen to Donald Trump in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015.Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEJeb Bush speaks at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015.Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMENew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gives a thumb's up at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEA supporter poses with a life-size cutout of Rand Paul at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEWisconsin Governor Scott Walker at CPAC in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMERetired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson greets supporters at CPAC in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEFormer Republican Governor of Texas Rick Perry at CPAC in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEButtons for past Republican campaigns on display at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMESupporters watch Rand Paul speak at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015.Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEDonald Trump signs a Playboy magazine at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015.Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEAttendees applaud at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015.Mark Peterson—Redux for TIMEAn empty room ready for the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 26, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIME
Bush is hoping to use Friday’s Q&A to highlight his conservative record as governor of Florida, but that isn’t entirely up to him. If there was a lesson on Thursday, it was that the moderators matters.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who also opted for the Q&A format, fended off a series of fastballs fired by radio host Laura Ingraham, who grilled him on his temperament and slide in early primary polls. Hannity, meanwhile, lobbed a series of underhand softballs to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. But there is no guarantee that Bush will receive the same friendly treatment.
To offset any simmering hostility in the room, Bush’s political-action committee is coordinating transport for supporters to the event—a tactic that Sens. Ted Cruz and Rand Paul are also using to ensure friendly crowds. His assigned slot on the conference speaking schedule—following firebreathing NRA executive Wayne LaPierre on the day when Paul supporters are expected to pack the audience—makes the alternate speaking format all the more preferable.
The Q&A format is also symbolic of the type of campaign Bush hopes to run. Earlier this month in a meeting with donors to his super PAC, Bush promised to set up a “digital media platform” to engage in a conversation with voters should he formally launch a presidential campaign.
“You can’t ignore the political process at all, but there is a better way I think of having a two-way communication with people, and to share some powerful ideas that will lift people’s spirits and make their lives better,” Bush said.
Friday’s appearance is an early test of whether Bush, who has been busy vacuuming up the support of the party’s elite financiers and operatives, can have the same success performing for an audience with a much different makeup.
Photos: Meet America's Top 10 Political Families
The Bush family dynasty begins with Prescott S. Bush, who represented Connecticut in the Senate from 1952 to 1963. His son George H. W. Bush served as Vice President, Director of the CIA, and President from 1989 to 1993. His son George W. Bush was governor of Texas and, from 2001 to 2009, President of the United States. George W's brother Jeb served as governor of Florida and is thought to be a possible contender for the White House in 2016. Getty ImagesThen Vice President George H. W. Bush sits with his sons George W. and Jeb while vacationing in Kennebunkport, Maine, in August 1983. Cynthia Johnson—Getty ImagesJoseph P. Kennedy was a multi-millionaire, U.S. ambassador to Britain and the patriarch of a political dynasty that included his sons pictured above, Robert Kennedy (left), U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Senator and candidate for President assassinated while campaigning in 1968, and John F. Kennedy (right), President of the U.S. from 1961 until he was assassinated in office in 1963.Rolls Press/Popperfoto/Getty ImagesPictured here on Easter Sunday 1963: John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy with their two children, John Jr. (left), who would become a publisher and die in a plane crash in 1999, and Caroline (right), an attorney, writer, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan. The Kennedy clan also includes Ted Kennedy, who served in the U.S. Senate until his death in 2009, Robert Kennedy Jr., a prominent environmental activist, Joseph P. Kennedy III, who was elected to Congress in 2012, and many other prominent Americans.MPI/Getty ImagesThe Clintons started their political dynasty in Arkansas in 1976, when Bill was elected Attorney General. He went on to win the governors seat and, in 1992, the Presidency. After leaving the White House, Hillary served as a Senator from New York and Secretary of State. She's widely expected to make her own White House bid in 2016. Brooks Kraft—CorbisBorn in 1980, Bill and Hillary's daughter Chelsea is married to investment banker Marc Mezvinsky, the son of two former members of Congress. On September 27, 2014, they added another member to the Clinton dynasty: their daughter, Charlotte Clinton MezvinskyFilmMagic/Getty ImagesAs a libertarian-minded Republican in congress for decades, Rep. Ron Paul (right) became the defacto leader of the libertarian movement in the U.S. His son Rand Paul (left) is now trying to take on that mantle as a Senator from Kentucky and likely presidential hopeful. Ed Reinke—APU.S. Sen. Rand Paul talks to his father Rep. Ron Paul during a news conference June 22, 2011 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Alex Wong—Getty ImagesDick Cheney (right) has served as a congressman, White House aide, Secretary of Defense and unusually powerful Vice President, but he's not the only political force in the family. His daughter Liz Cheney (left) is a conservative commentator and activist who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2014. AP (2)Cheney's daughters Liz (left) and Mary (right), pictured here at home in Wyoming in 1978, had a highly public row later in life, when Mary, who is gay, called out Liz for refusing to support same-sex marriage.David Hume Kennerly—Getty ImagesBoth George Romney and his son Mitt rose to national political prominence but neither held the top job. The elder Romney, who served as Governor of Michigan, ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination in 1968. Mitt Romney served as Governor of Massachusetts and secured the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. He was defeated in the general election. Getty Images; CorbisGeorge Romney announced his intention to run for governor of Michigan, with his son Mitt and his wife Lenore by his side, on February 10, 1962. RDA/Getty ImagesDescended from Mormon pioneers, the Udall family have held high political positions from states across the American West. To cite one of many examples, Stewart Udall served as Secretary of the Department of Interior under President Lyndon Johnson. Today, his son Tom Udall (right) represents New Mexico in the U.S. Senate, and his nephew Mark Udall (left) represents Colorado in the same body.CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images (2)The large Udall clan also includes local officials, congressmen and state legislators. APThe Taft family includes prominent Americans extending back to the colonial era. William Howard Taft (left) was President from 1909 to 1913 and later appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. His son Robert A. Taft (right) wielded extraordinary power and influence as a member of the U.S. Senate, where he served until his death in 1953. Getty Images (2)Theodore Roosevelt first become president after the assassination of President McKinley in 1901 and served until 1909. Franklin Roosevelt was a great admirer of his fifth cousin Theodore, and became President himself, serving from 1933 to 1945, the longest consecutive administration in America’s history. Getty Images (2)America’s original political dynasty, the Adams family had a hand in some of the most consequential events in the country’s history. John Adams was a member of the Continental Congress, a signatory to the Declaration of Independence, and served as America’s first President from 1797 to 1801. John Quincy Adams became the first son of a President to become President, serving from 1825 to 1829. National Archives/Getty Images (2)
The last time Bush came to CPAC, the reception was tepid. Both the substance and style of his speech were a strange fit for the young, rowdy crowd whom Bush gently admonished to stop chattering while he spoke.
“Way too many people believe Republicans are anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker,” he told the audience. “We must move beyond the divisive and extraneous issues that currently define the public debate. Never again can the Republican Party simply write off entire segments of our society because we assume our principles have limited appeal.” Some conservatives felt the critical notes of Bush’s speech to the confab were off key at a conference that celebrates the party’s doctrinaire impulses.
Bush spent Thursday attending the winter meeting of the conservative Club for Growth, the latest stop on his effort to demonstrate his conservative bona fides.
Despite the grilling, Thursday’s interview was a relative victory for Christie, who could never deliver the same degree of red meat as Ted Cruz. He used the format to beat up on the press and his leading opponent: Jeb Bush.
