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Jeb Bush(Photo: Erik Schelzig, AP)
MIAMI — When Jeb Bush formally enters the presidential race Monday, he'll be looking at a different political landscape than he may have envisioned when he began his exploratory effort back in December.
The former governor of Florida, the son and brother of U.S. presidents, Bush faces an historically crowded field of more than a dozen Republican opponents
Some of those opponents are more than willing to challenge Bush's commitment to conservatism, and to question whether a member of the Bush family can win the White House for the third time in 30 years.
Bush, who governed Florida from 1999 to 2007, plans to stress that executive experience as he seeks the presidency, according to a pre-announcement video released Sunday.
"My core beliefs start with the premise that the most vulnerable in our society should be in the front of the line, not the back," Bush says. "And as Governor, I had a chance to act on that core belief."
The video features four Florida residents discussing Bush initiatives — school vouchers, small business assistance, programs to battle domestic violence, and aid to the disabled — that the candidate says reflect his approach to government.
Bush also criticizes people who are only "yapping" about problems. "There are a lot of people talking, and they're pretty good at it," he says in the video. "We need to start fixing things."
Democrats say other Bush policies — from tax cuts for the wealthy to opposition to anti-discrimination legislation — show he favors only the well-off.
"Jeb Bush would not fight for the middle class as president," said Holly Shulman, a Democratic Party spokeswoman. "He would do what he's always done — put himself and people like him over everyday Americans."
In an interview broadcast Sunday on CNN, the ex-governor disputed the idea that he is "just another Bush," including former President George W. Bush.
"I got to share my passion for service when I was governor and telling that story is going to be part of this," Bush told CNN's State of the Union in an interview conducted during his trip last week to Europe.
More than a dozen years after his last political race, Bush faces questions from conservatives about his commitment to their cause. The list of complaints include his support for Common Core education standards and for new immigration rules.
In a party that often nominates governors for president, Bush will face many opponents who have been state executives themselves.
Ex-governors Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Rick Perry of Texas, and George Pataki of New York are already running. Four current governors — Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Chris Christie of New Jersey, Bobby Jindal of New Jersey, and John Kasich of Ohio — are expected to announce their plans soon.
The GOP field also features a group of sitting senators (Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Lindsey Graham) as well as former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.
Also seeking the Republican nomination: Businesswoman Carly Fiorina and retired neuorsurgeon Ben Carson. Businessman Donald Trump is scheduled to announce Tuesday whether he will get in.
While Bush figures to have the most money of any GOP candidate, his fundraising prowess has not scared off a long list opponents.
"I thought Jeb was just going to suck all the air out of the room, and it just hasn't happened," Kasich told New Hampshire business people this month.
Early polls showed a bunched-up race in the early contest states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, with nobody able to top the 20% mark.
Since announcing creation of an exploratory committee in December, Bush has encountered several problems.
Among them:
• Allegations by campaign finance groups that, during the exploratory phase of his campaign, Bush violated laws prohibiting coordination between candidates and super PACs;
• Sagging polls. While basically tied with other candidates, Bush has also registered high unfavorability ratings, partly due to voter disaffection with the Bush family;
• His fumbled response to a question about whether he would have ordered an invasion of Iraq showed rusty campaign skills. Over the course of three days, Bush gave conflicting answers, eventually saying he would not have gone to war knowing what is now known about the faulty intelligence behind his brother's decision to invade.
• A recent shakeup of his campaign staff.
Bush's problems aren't that different from those affecting former secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, said Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida.
Both face higher expectations and more intense scrutiny than other candidates. Both are linked to political dynasties, with all the disadvantages and advantages that brings.
"It's not surprising that they weren't perfect," MacManus said. "But here's the deal. Every single other (candidate), once they get in the limelight, are going to go through the same scrutiny and make mistakes."
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