Bush 3.0: Jeb’s Impending Battle With the Media -- And His Last Name

Jeb Bush announced his presidential run, the latest high-profile Republican to join an increasingly large field of conservatives looking to break the Democrats’ eight-year control of the White House. But as the media will continually remind him, the former Florida governor faces a challenger none of his foes will have to confront. “I believe the media coverage, first and foremost, will focus on the last name,” said Ron Christie, former special assistant to President George W. Bush. “If his last name was Jeb Smith, I think there’d be a lot more excitement and a lot more buzz about his candidacy. But given that his last name is Bush … he’s going to have a very tight rope to walk to be seen as his own man … which is going to be really, really difficult for him to do.”

On whether Hillary or Jeb will face the bigger media millstone, one expert points to the historical records. “The public tends to associate Bill Clinton with prosperity and W. with hard economic times,” said Mark Feldstein, professor of broadcast journalism at University of Maryland. “George W. Bush still remains a real albatross around Jeb’s neck and that’s probably not going to change hugely. And yet he doesn’t want to lose those supporters or be disrespectful to his brother.”