What Went Wrong

Jeb Bush was once thought to be the favorite to win the Republican nomination in 2016. His campaign quickly began to unravel after a number of gaffes and coming out on the losing end of exchanges with Donald Trump.

After former Florida Governor Bush defended the Iraq war he would later retract his statement and come out against the conflict.

Knowing what we know now, …I would not have engaged. I would not have gone into Iraq. – Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, commenting on Iraq War

His campaign was filled full of awkward comments, failures to effectively stand up to Donald Trump, and his lack of ability to connect with voters. The quick halt of Governor Bush’s campaign was foreshadowed after his terrible performance in Iowa.

TYT Host Cenk Uygur highlighted an interesting point, Governor Bush spent a lot of money during his brief campaign – but exactly how much did he spend?

The Money Game

According to OpenSecrets.org, Jeb Bush was able to raise slightly over $150 million through his campaign and the Right to Rise Super Pac. Of that $150 million a grand total of

abcnews.com

approximately $84 million, which was not even enough for Bush to ever finish in the top three in either Iowa, New Hampshire, or South Carolina. It was widely speculated his sub par debate performances did his campaign great damage, and these numbers reinforce that belief.

With money and the establishment of the Republican Party behind him, it’s shocking to many in mainstream media that he was unable to ever make his mark during this election cycle.

What’s Next For Jeb

Jeb had his poor campaign skills exposed during this election, his debate weakness has also been exposed for the nation to see. However, it is not out of the question that he could become a Vice President selection – if someone were able to unseat Donald Trump as front runner.

Even if that is the case, the amount of damage done to his image during this campaign may keep even that from happening. At best Bush could hope for a cabinet position to help rebuild his image as a capable politician.