NASHUA, N.H. — Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush told Republicans at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Summit he does not expect an easy ride from primary voters should he decide to run for president.
“I don’t see a coronation coming my way,” he objected to a New Hampshire Republican woman who charged he was an establishment Republican who should not expect a “coronation” and that he was not a “Republican In Name Only” (RINO).
“I hope you saw the record. It’s a conservative record. It’s not a ‘Republican In Name Only’ record. The funny thing is, in Florida, those that are on the left are really upset that people are calling me something I’m not,” he said. “It’s kind of amusing. The liberals in Florida are angry that people don’t see me as a conservative outside of Florida though my record is a conservative one. It’s a ‘I’m not kidding’ conservative one.”
Bush described it as a “record of accomplishment.” When asked about where he stood on Common Core, an issue some believe may prove problematic for the former governor among conservatives, Bush responded, “I am for raising standards if you assess them and assess them accurately, it means we have college and career readiness.”
He added, “Whether it is Common Core standards created at the state level, to me it is not as meaningful as the fact that it should be higher. High standards assess the right way, combined with accountability, that is what we need. Here’s what we don’t need. We don’t need the federal government involved in this at all.”