Jeb Bush to visit Iowa in March

Jeb Bush will make his way to Iowa next month, speaking at the Iowa Agriculture Summit in Des Moines on Mar. 7, according to the Des Moines Register. Rick Perry, the former governor of Texas, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will also address the Summit, the Register reported.

The former Florida governor is the only major potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate who has not yet visited Iowa.

Bush chose to skip Rep. Steve King's Iowa Freedom Summit in January, where nine potential presidential GOP candidates spoke to an audience of Iowa's most conservative activists. Walker was very well received and emerged as a crowd favorite. Recent polling reflects his positive reception there.

Even though the summit is being hosted by prominent Republican donor Bruce Rastetter, the former CEO of Hawkwye Energy, it is is being billed as politically diverse. The invited speakers fall all across the political spectrum, including everyone from Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Participants will be on stage with Rastetter, who's likely to focus on biofuels -- a big topic in Iowa politics -- and where they stand on the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Bush has been quietly building up his Iowa team, calling influential Iowans and signaling that the state would be far from ignored in his campaign. Last week, he asked Iowa political strategist David Kochel to manage his national campaign if he runs.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.