New York Times: “Jeb Bush and his supporters still have a pile of money to spend, remnants of $100 million raised when he seemed early last year to be a sure bet. They have an expansive ground operation in New Hampshire. And allies have just begun a new ad campaign in Iowa. But nothing they have tried so far has lifted Mr. Bush’s terrible poll numbers. And with just four weeks remaining until voting begins, Mr. Bush needs to do something to save his candidacy.”

“It may be too late: Other campaigns appear to have counted him out altogether. But, in extensive interviews over the past week, aides to Mr. Bush and important allies described a long-shot plan to pull off what seems all but impossible: winning the Republican nomination for president.”

Jeb Bush’s campaign “is canceling its Iowa television advertising buy and shifting money to double staff on the ground in January, the final month before the high-stakes Iowa caucuses,” the Des Moines Register reports.

“The news will raise questions about whether the former Florida governor might pull out of Iowa given his fifth-place status here, with just 6 percent support of likely GOP caucusgoers.”

Jeb Bush’s campaign “is deploying nearly all of its staff in its Miami headquarters to early states,” Politico reports.

“Top campaign officials informed employees that the deployment would be staggered throughout the month of January, one participant on the call said. The campaign is expected to deploy between 50 and 60 Miami-based staffers, with 20 going to New Hampshire and 10 or more going to Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada.”

New York Times: “The switch comes as Mr. Bush, who is in single digits in the polls and is struggling to revive his presidential bid, is placing an increased emphasis in the first four caucus and primary states, especially New Hampshire.”

Jeb Bush and his super PAC “are set to dominate the TV airwaves between now and the Granite State primary, reserving more than $14 million in commercials on both New Hampshire and Boston stations — including two Super Bowl spots,” the Boston Herald reports.

“It’s a clear sign that Bush operatives, despite criticism over already spending more than $35 million nationally on commercials for just 4 percent in the polls, are doubling down on a strategy of massive TV buys.”

“I hated that. I feel much better back here.”

— Jeb Bush, quoted by the Washington Post, on being the GOP frontrunner earlier this year.

Politico: “Those who’ve been with Bush over the last week say he’s been raring to go. At a Republican Party of Florida event at the Intercontinental Hotel in Tampa last week, Bush went on such an anti-Trump tear that Bush advisers were shocked it didn’t leak. From then on, tackling Trump head on was the debate game plan – and became a central part of the former Florida governor’s preparations.”

First Read: “Bush might very well see this line of attack as a public service to his party. Then again, Bush being the attack dog against Trump could make Trump’s insurgent pitch to Republicans/conservatives even stronger.”

Amy Walter: “Bush looked more confident than ever. But, it is unlikely to do him much good. He took some shots at Trump but, unlike Fiorina did in the second debate of the season, Bush wasn’t able to shut Trump down.”

First Read: “Indeed, Jeb Bush and his allies have now spent more than $35 million on TV ads since September — almost as much as the rest of the GOP field combined… They’ve spent $17 million in New Hampshire (but Bush is just in single digits there). They’ve spent $9 million in Iowa (yet Bush’s fav/unfav is upside down among GOP caucus-goers in the Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll). And they’ve spent another $5 million in South Carolina.”

“Bottom line: The more money he and his allies spend, the worse it’s gotten for the campaign. And Bush now finds himself at a crossroads. Does his Right to Rise Super PAC starting using the $25-$30 million it has reserved for future ad buys to go negative against the rest of the field? Or does it call off the dogs? After tonight’s debate, Jeb Bush definitely has some soul-searching to do.”

For members: Will Jeb Bush be the next to drop out?

New York Times: “From George Bush to his two political sons, the Bush family has always been squeamish about messy, personal attacks on rivals, preferring to outsource the dirty work to aides. But now, in an election cycle where the Republican Party’s grass-roots wing is angry and looking for a presidential candidate who projects a visceral sense of their frustration, some of Jeb Bush’s supporters say he may need to learn the fine art of negative campaigning.”

“That could be tricky for a man whose family code is one of polite gentility and even bipartisanship, not angry yelling and boorishness. That hardball, in-the-trenches style of politics, said friends, aides and scholars of the three men, goes against the ethos of the blue-blooded dynasty with roots in New England, where manners and decorum were ingrained not just at the dinner table but in the halls and playing fields of Andover.”

“The super PAC supporting Jeb Bush is racing through its massive war chest much faster than money is coming in, spending close to $50 million in a record blitz that has so far failed to lift the former Florida governor’s sputtering presidential candidacy,” the Washington Post reports.

“The group, Right to Rise, has already gone through nearly half of the $103 million it brought in during the first half of the year, records show. It raised only about $13 million in the five months that followed, according to a person familiar with the figure.”

Jeb Bush’s campaign and allies “have spent nearly a whopping $33 million in TV and radio advertisements so far this election cycle — almost more than the rest of the current Republican field combined,” NBC News reports.

“By comparison, all other current Republican campaigns and the outside groups supporting them have spent a combined $36 million-plus in TV and radio ads.”

New York Times: “The agenda for the three-hour donor meeting, which was closed to the news media, included a question-and-answer session with Mr. Bush… The campaign also presented new internal polling data from New Hampshire…. The general Bush pitch hinges on restoring a traditional framework to an election in which — so far, at least — the traditional rules of politics have ceased to apply, and where unconventional outsiders like Donald J. Trump have ridden a frenzy of visceral voter anger to the top of the polls.”

The super PAC supporting Jeb Bush has produced a 15-minute documentary featuring him and will release it online on Saturday and will later show it on television, the New York Times reports.

“The plan is to air the spot in 30-minute blocks on the New England Sports Network, which would reach voters in New Hampshire — a crucial state for Mr. Bush, who has seen his poll numbers stagnate in the single digits. Voters in additional early primary states would also be targeted with the video digitally.”

“I believe I’m gonna win New Hampshire, to be honest with you. I honestly believe it.”

— Jeb Bush, quoted by NBC News.