Iowa GOP Chair Gets Call From Jeb After Saying He Hasn’t Heard From Him

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2014 file photo, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks in Washington. There’s a whole year of campaigning, positioning and politicking to go before the next campaign for president kicks off wi... FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2014 file photo, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks in Washington. There’s a whole year of campaigning, positioning and politicking to go before the next campaign for president kicks off with the Iowa Caucus in early 2016. Here’s a look at 10 things to look out for next year that might tell us something about how that campaign to come (which is really already underway) may shake out. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) MORE LESS

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) called the Iowa Republican Party chairman on Wednesday just to let him know that he’s exploring running for President — but not running right now.

“But there was a resolve in his voice,” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann told The Des Moines Register. “What I heard is a man that’s ready to come out and tackle the Hawkeye state.”

The friendly call by Bush followed Kaufmann saying publicly that only two candidates widely believed to be planning to run for President in 2016 hadn’t called him yet: Bush and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

“He was very upbeat,” Kaufmann told the Register in describing the 20-minute call. “Very general in terms of his strategy, and very specific in terms of geography…What impressed me the most about him was the intricate knowledge he had about the various spots in the state.”

Bush, according to Kaufmann, stressed multiple times that he hadn’t decided to run for President yet.

“When I hung up the phone, I was very heartened that this guy is going to play in Iowa,” Kaufmann said.

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  1. The notion that our presidential elections are driven by anything that happens in Iowa and New Hampshire is disquieting.

  2. Avatar for dnl dnl says:

    Jebba the Butt

    What a tease…

  3. Avatar for bdtex bdtex says:

    Oh yeah. Pisses me off bigtime every POTUS election cycle. The candidates raise big bucks from Texas donors to spend at the Iowa Caucus carnival.

  4. If repugs place their hopes on Jeb, they will be disappointed again.

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