As former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) moves toward running for president the common analysis is that either Bush’s stance on immigration or Common Core will be his biggest weakness. Karl Rove thinks it’s Common Core.
“Common Core is, I think, the biggest challenge he faces,” Rove said during an interview with Fox News highlighted by The Hill. “The question is, how can he defend high academic standards which he believes in, when it has been conflated with the Obama administration.”
It’s a view that many have shared and the former Florida governor hasn’t always shied away from. His two signature issues are immigration reform and education and supporting the set of education standards that have been adopted in all but seven states. Common Core is a favorite target of tea party Republicans.
Rove is the former mastermind and “architect” behind former President George W. Bush’s rise and time in the White House.
On Tuesday Bush unveiled his new leadership political action committee: the Right to Rise PAC. In the rollout he seems to have outlined his angle for running for president: focus on economic mobility through conservative policies, fix the nation’s immigration system, and focus on educational policy and educational choice.