Poll: Can Lesser-Funded Opponents Compete With Jeb Bush?

Q: Some supporters of former Gov. Jeb Bush say he'll raise $100 million by the end of March. Can lesser-funded opponents compete?

DEMOCRATS (80 VOTES)

Yes: 86%No: 14%

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush shakes hands with attendees after speaking at the 42nd annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) February 27, 2015 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)Yes

"In primaries, a strong message with modest money behind it can trump a mushy message with big Bush bucks behind it."

"Someone can compete in Iowa and New Hampshire for far less if the super PACs take care of the TV buy."

"Newt Gingrich had Sheldon Adelson's $100 million. Did him no good."

"Bush's money only guarantees he'll be competitive. He still needs to be popular, and the Right Wing"Š just doesn't like him."

"The beauty of the early-state caucus and primary system is that it is not all about money, because ideas, people, and organization matter."

No

"The non-Jeb money is splitting up all over the place. Someone has to consolidate the non-Jeb world early, or he will grind out a win with a 50-state strategy."

"This is Jeb's to lose on the Republican side, and I doubt any of the others will be able to catch up—or, if they do, keep up."

REPUBLICANS (83 VOTES)

Yes: 87%No: 13%

Yes

"Think Common Core and immigration."

""Š'I'm the adult here' does not a winning campaign make."

"The media will want a horse race, and free coverage will often compensate for lesser funding."

"The early states still offer a level playing field for modestly fundedcandidates and a chance to break through. Anyone with a sugar daddy to fund a super PAC has a shot, too."

"The battlefield of politics is littered with the remains of better-funded candidates."

"It doesn't cost $100 million to win Iowa, New Hampshire, or South Carolina. Gov. Bush could be in trouble by then. Can't buy his way out of it with three defeats in a row."

"For a 'moderate' GOPer to win the nomination, he/she needs to hold a 3-to-1 cash advantage to make up for the lack of perceived conservative street cred."

"Yes, because he won't raise that sum. Having set the expectation and falling short will hurt him."

"All the money in the world cannot change the fact that Republicans think someone other than a Bush should be president."

No

"It's not just that he'll have that much; it'll also be that none of the others do. Hard to win a war with bullet-less guns."

"At least not for very long—unless Bush runs a totally bad campaign, which is not likely."

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