Why Did Jeb Bush Jump In So Early?

The Fix: “The thinking in Bush world, according to this strategist, was that the best way to combat these series of negative stories was to make a semi-definitive declaration of intent — changing the storyline, at least for the moment… There is also the calculation that if Bush is going to get scrutiny from the media as though he’s an announced candidate, he should also get the benefits of being a close-to-announced candidate. At least one prominent Republican consultant disagreed with that assessment, however.”

“Aside from changing the narrative, another argument I heard in my conversations was that Bush hasn’t actively campaigned in a very long time and has shown signs in the past year or two — see the release of his book in 2013 — that he needs some work.”

Said one GOP consultant: “The guy is rusty. He hasn’t done this is a while. He will now have more of a preseason; after a flurry of attention, he will be off Broadway.”