Neither have formally announced an intent to run for president, but two GOP frontrunners have already visited the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire in what could be seen as an early start on the campaign trail.
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker never crossed paths over the weekend, though it didn’t stop them from taking jabs at each other. Bush said he had the “grown-up plan,” adding that future candidates need to have a backbone–taking a dig at what he painted as Walker’s tendency to flip flop on issues such as immigration.
Walker shrugged off the remarks to a field of reporters. “It’s just a narrative for the other campaigns who are fresh to the fact that we’ve got a strong reputation for keeping our word,” he said. “[Immigration] is one where we listened to people all across the country.”
While Walker held one event in the state’s capital of Concord, Bush attended events in Hudson and Dover, something msnbc’s Kasie Hunt explained as a clear difference in strategy and potential shortcoming for Walker.
“Walker sort of avoided the traditional New Hampshire retail politicking,” Hunt said on Monday’s Rundown, noting the Wisconsin governor only had one public event over the course of the weekend. “Bush, on the other hand, really embraced this idea that New Hampshire voters have come to expect: where their candidates are up close and personal.” But Walker may have an advantage over Bush that all comes down to history, and U.S. News and World Report‘s David Catanese notes that Walker has a “bigger growth potential for support than Governor Bush.” Watch the full conversation in the video player above.
Zach Blanchard Recommended
