The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
End of Bush dynasty dream
Politics: Emotional Jeb bows out of race for presidency after poor results
Jeb Bush ended his campaign for the presidency after adisappointing finish in South Carolina, acknowledging his failure to harness the hopes of Republican voters angry at the political establishment.
The former Florida governor told supporters that he had tried to stay true to what he believes.
Still, he was lagging far behind in the primary in South Carolina, where his well-organised campaign was outmatched by billionaire Donald Trump, and senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
“I’m proud of the campaign that we’ve run to unify our country and to advocate conservative solutions,” a visibly emotional Mr Bush said.
“The presidency is bigger than any one person. It’s certainly bigger than any one candidate.
“I firmly believe the American people must entrust this office to someone who understands that whoever holds it is a servant not the master.”
The son of George HW Bushandbrother ofGeorge W, Bush entered the race to huge expectations in June, and quickly fuelled them with fundraising.
Working with a outside funding group which has supported his candidacy, Mr Bush and allies raised more than $ 150million (£104 million) by theendof 2015, far more than any of his Republican rivals. However, Mr Bush’s presence in the race and fundraising potential was not enough to dissuade more than a dozen other Republicans from entering the race, including fellow Floridian, Mr Rubio.
Mr Bush’s failure to ignite was not simply a factor of the size of the Republican field. He was caught off-guard by the popularity of political outsiders, particularly Mr Trump.
The final stage of Mr Bush’s campaign became anall-out fight with the real estate mogul, the two frequently referring to each other as a “loser”.
Mr Bush attacked Mr Trump’s lack of experience, and the billionaire focused on the Bush family legacy.
“I’m proud of the campaign we’ve run to unify the country”