Will Common Core Drag Bush Down in Iowa?

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is, according to the Politico Caucus, likely to struggle in Iowa because of his support for Common Core. Here are a few key excerpts from this morning’s article:

Insiders: Jeb Bush's No. 1 problem in Iowa

Nine in 10 Republican insiders from the early states think former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s support for Common Core hurts his presidential prospects, but only a small minority believes that his backing of the education standards will prove fatal…

“This is the number-one issue Bush faces in Iowa with caucusgoers,” said a top Iowa Republican…

Common Core has plummeted in popularity over the last two years, especially among Republicans. The math and English Language Arts standards originally grew out of the bipartisan National Governors Association, but they’re now known by many conservative activists as “ObamaCore.”

Republican candidates are asked about Common Core nearly every time they take questions from voters in the early states. The GOP-controlled state legislature in New Hampshire just passed a bill allowing school districts to opt out of Common Core.

Bush, who cultivated a brand as an education-focused governor in Florida, has refused to back down from his support…

The vast majority of respondents in both parties agreed that Bush would suffer more from flip-flopping, which would look insincere, than trying to explain his position.

“He should ignore the Right (which will never believe him anyway) and play to center on this issue,” said a New Hampshire Republican. “If he is going to win this primary, he can only win it in the center and chasing to the right will not help him.”

The Politico Caucus had a few other items as well regarding Hillary Clinton, John Kasich, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio (and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder too!):

Only 1 in 5 Democrats think the “Clinton Cash” book is a problem for Hillary’s campaign.

There is no clamoring among Republicans for John Kasich or Rick Snyder to get into the race.

Iowa Republican insiders think Cruz had the best rollout; for Granite Staters, it’s Rubio.

As always, some great information from the weekly Politico Caucus article.