In an election year where many Republicans are distancing themselves from their presidential standard-bearer some are calling in an old friend: former President George W. Bush. Many party figures fear presumptive nominee Donald Trump will drag them down to defeat in the November 8 elections.
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Republicans control 54 seats in the 100-member Senate.
It’s an unusual move for Bush, who has largely remained out of the political spotlight since he left the White House in early 2009.
California, the largest state in the union, which votes on the last day of Republican primaries, is absolutely crucial in Trump’s push to secure the delegates he needs to prevail in his party’s chaotic contested convention.
As for the 43rd president, he has indicated he’s no fan of Trump.
Bush, the New York Times reports, has held fundraisers in recent weeks for Arizona Senator John McCain and New Hampshire’s Kelly Ayotte, both of whom are tight in the polls with their Democratic challengers and neither of whom is exactly thrilled to be running on the same ticket as Trump.
Bush is back in the game of politics, following an eight-year hiatus.
“I’m pleased he is coming”, Blunt said in a brief interview this week with The Times. The Bushes, as evidenced by the whopping $130 million Jeb Bush raised during his failed campaign, are especially popular within the GOP donor class.
Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin write that vulnerable Republicans, instead of embracing a groundswell of populist support, are turning to former President George W. Bush for campaign help..
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“The Bush family has a deep love for the party and cares about the future and in light of Trump’s capacity to damage the brand, I think this is part and parcel of doing what they can to preserve the party”, said Jeb Bush’s spokeswoman, Kristy Campbell.
