Bush Isn’t First to Slash Staff Ahead of Nomination

Washington Post: “Bush’s retrenchment drew immediate parallels to Sen. John McCain’s campaign implosion in the summer of 2007. The Arizona Republican laid off most of his staff, including several top strategists, and retreated to New Hampshire to grind out a comeback. He eventually won the 2008 nomination.”

“Unlike McCain, however, Bush has no deep history with the voters of New Hampshire or any other early state. McCain’s task was to remind people why they had liked him, while Bush’s challenge in the three months before voting begins is to find ways to win over people who have been cool to his overtures thus far.”