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Two floors above a ballroom filled with GOP activists listening to his 2016 rivals, Jeb Bush was getting down to the real business of the New Hampshire primary. It was there, in a hotel room his PAC had reserved on the third floor of the Crowne Plaza in Nashua, that Bush was courting the New Hampshire brokers who could power his presidential run.

Maybe his last name isn’t such a liability, after all.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush leads the GOP presidential field according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal national poll. Bush was the first pick of 23 percent of the 251 Republican primary voters surveyed.

G.O.P. Hopefuls Now Aiming to Woo the Middle Class

The last three men to win the Republican nomination have been the prosperous son of a president (George W. Bush), a senator who could not recall how many homes his family owned (John McCain of Arizona; it was seven) and a private equity executive worth an estimated $200 million (Mitt Romney).

Jeb Bush sees less enthusiasm than Mitt Romney did at same point in race

There is less enthusiasm for Jeb Bush at this point in the Republican presidential race than there was for Mitt Romney four years ago, according to party operatives who say it signaled weariness over another Bush candidacy and reflected a stronger field this time.

Mr. Bush is ahead of Mr. Romney on at least one count: Party insiders expect the former Florida governor and his allies to surpass the 2012 nominee’s opening fundraising haul. But winning over voters will be tougher, the analysts said.

The rapid growth of the GOP presidential field is causing major headaches for party bosses ahead of a primary debate season that begins this summer.

The dilemma for Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman, is stark: If the declared field grows to 18 or 20 candidates, as now looks plausible, how can those numbers be winnowed in a way that seems fair and reasonable rather than arbitrary and undemocratic?

How to Read the Ups and Downs of Polling in the G.O.P. Race

The polling roller coaster, as FiveThirtyEight’s Harry Enten put it, has begun. One week the headline is “Ted Cruz Surging in Polls.” Three weeks later, it’s “Marco Rubio Surges to Front of G.O.P. Pack.”

The wave of candidate announcements that began late last month has set off a new phase of volatile polling, when voters will rally behind news-making candidates and move on as soon as the next arrives.

Bush sits atop GOP field in N.H. as Walker, Paul edge Clinton: poll

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush leads a crowded Republican presidential field in the early state of New Hampshire, while Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky lead in head-to-head match-ups against former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to a new poll.

Mr. Bush is the choice of 18 percent of GOP primary voters, followed by Mr. Walker at 16 percent and Mr. Paul at 15 percent, according to the automated survey from the firm Gravis Marketing.