--- title: Marco Rubio Pushes Back on Leaked Jeb Bush Strategy Memo description: “I just don’t think it is a smart thing for Republicans to do Hillary Clinton’s job for her.” canonical: https://time.com/4095314/marco-rubio-jeb-bush-leaked-memo/ author: Michael Scherer article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-31T02:14:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:39:43.179Z article:section: Politics og:title: Rubio Pushes Back on Leaked Bush Strategy Memo og:description: “I don’t think it's smart for Republicans to do Hillary Clinton’s job for her.” og:url: https://time.com/4095314/marco-rubio-jeb-bush-leaked-memo/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb8267738f5032f8/698865615f570f74d0b1d8c9/marco-rubio-presidential-candidate.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5237 og:image:height: 2946 og:image:alt: Sen. Marco Rubio speaks to voters at the Heritage Action Presidential Candidate Forum September 18, 2015 in Greenville, South Carolina. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rubio Pushes Back on Leaked Bush Strategy Memo twitter:description: “I don’t think it's smart for Republicans to do Hillary Clinton’s job for her.” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb8267738f5032f8/698865615f570f74d0b1d8c9/marco-rubio-presidential-candidate.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Marco Rubio Pushes Back on Leaked Jeb Bush Strategy Memo > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=bb7fa448-7746-4ad6-9317-cd1f895b7428&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 2016 CNBC GOP DEBATE: Bush and Rubio Volley Back-and-Forth [Watch (HLS stream): 2016 CNBC GOP DEBATE: Bush and Rubio Volley Back-and-Forth](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8lWPOGrH.m3u8) (0:23)  _Published 2015-10-29. Watch Bush and Rubio trade barbs during the 2016 CNBC GOP Presidential Debate._ by [Michael Scherer / Orange City, Iowa](https://time.com/author/michael-scherer/) ## Michael Scherer / Orange City, Iowa Oct 31, 2015 2:14 AM UTC Watch Bush and Rubio trade barbs during the 2016 CNBC GOP Presidential Debate. by [Michael Scherer / Orange City, Iowa](https://time.com/author/michael-scherer/) ## Michael Scherer / Orange City, Iowa Oct 31, 2015 2:14 AM UTC Florida Senator Marco Rubio offered his first response Friday to the leak of a 112-page Jeb Bush campaign document, which called Rubio a “risky bet” and laid out a strategy for hobbling his rising campaign . “It’s part of a strategic decision they have made and they have a right to make it,” Rubio said of the document, after giving a speech at Northwestern College. “I just don’t think it is a smart thing for Republicans to do Hillary Clinton’s job for her.” In the document, Bush campaign manager Danny Diaz suggests that Rubio’s strategy of framing the election as a choice between “tomorrow vs. yesterday” would be “widely ridiculed by the media” in a general election, since likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton will be running to become the first woman president. In response, Rubio doubled down on his view of the race. “I just think the Democrats and the political left in America have run out of ideas. Their ideas were never any good but they are really outdated now,” he said. “I look forward to—God willing—being the nominee and being able to make that argument because it’s time to turn the page.” Rubio maintained that he is not running a negative campaign against his Republican rivals. “I can’t control other peoples campaigns,” he said. “I can control mine. Mine is going to continue to be about the future of America.” **Read More:** [Rubio and Bush Trade Insults Over Missing Votes](http://time.com/4091922/republican-debate-marco-rubio-jeb-bush/) But Rubio has also suggested that Republicans should turn the page in their own nominating contest—a shot at Jeb Bush, who is the son and brother of recent presidents. In his speech Friday night, Rubio warned the party that it needed to find fresh faces in order to win in 2016. “We won’t be able to do it if all we do is elect the same people, the next people in line, with the same ideas,” Rubio said. “We need people with a sense of energy and urgency.” That phrase echoed Donald Trump’s attack on Bush for being “low-energy.” The leaked Bush campaign document, which was published by _U.S. News_, also criticized Rubio for lacking executive experience and compared him to President Obama when he ran for president in 2008\. “Barack Obama has seven years of presidential experience. He is worse today than he was when he started. So I don’t think he has failed because of a lack of experience,” Rubio said, in response. “He has failed because his ideas don’t work. Our ideas do work.” Rubio also responded to the news that hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer, a major Republican donor, had decided to support Rubio’s campaign. “It’s someone who is successful in raising money,” Rubio said. “When people donate to us they are buying into our agenda.” **Read Next:** [_How Jeb Bush Lost the Debate_](http://time.com/4092125/republican-debate-jeb-bush-lost/) ## Transcript But Marco when you signed up for this this was a six year term and you should be showing up to work. I mean literally the Senate what is it, a French work week? You get like three days where you have to show up? I don't remember you ever complaining about John McCain's vote record. The only reason why you're doing it now is because we're running for the same position and someone has convinced you that attacking me is gonna help you. [ APPLAUSE ] Here's the bottom line, my campaign is gonna ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4095314/marco-rubio-jeb-bush-leaked-memo/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4095314/marco-rubio-jeb-bush-leaked-memo/"},"headline":"Marco Rubio Pushes Back on Leaked Jeb Bush Strategy Memo","datePublished":"2015-10-31T02:14:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:39:43.179Z","description":"He says Bush is doing \"Hillary Clinton's job for her\"","url":"https://time.com/4095314/marco-rubio-jeb-bush-leaked-memo/","keywords":["2016 Election","Sen. 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