DES MOINES — Jeb Bush, a change-agent governor, has a gold-plated record that no other 2016 contender can match — but many Iowans don't know what he's done because his accomplishments have been overshadowed by his family name, his backers here say.
The curtain went up Monday on Bush's presidential bid, so his campaign can now spread the word about an eight-year Florida governor who orchestrated significant tax cuts, job creation, a downsized government and improvements to K-12 schools, all while helping the most vulnerable in society, Iowa Republicans said.
"He has a big heart. He has a keen mind. He's thoughtful, purposeful, energetic," said Des Moines businessman and former Iowa GOP Chairman David Oman, who is working to elect Bush. "People have to get to know him as someone other than a name in a headline."
"What sets Jeb Bush apart from others in the field," said Mark Jacobs, an education reform advocate and retired CEO who ran for U.S. Senate in Iowa in 2014, "is this is a man who has actually done it."
But with early resistance to Bush from Iowa conservatives and stiff competition from prominent contenders such as Scott Walker and Marco Rubio and well-funded upstarts like Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson, Bush will need to dig in early and aggressively or there won't be space for him late in the game, Iowa strategists said.
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