Jeb Bush's super PAC launches ad assault on Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz
The ad, by Right to Rise USA, directly went after three of Bush's rivals in the 2016 race: real-estate mogul Donald Trump and Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
The spot imagined each of the rivals behind the president's desk in the Oval Office.
"When the attacks come here, the person behind this desk will have to protect your family," the narrator said.
"Will he be impulsive and reckless, like Donald Trump? Will he have voted to dramatically weaken counter-terrorism surveillance, like Ted Cruz? Will have skipped crucial national-security hearings and votes just to campaign, like Marco Rubio?" the narrator asked.
The Cruz attack is an apparent reference to his support for the USA Freedom Act, which curtailed the government's ability to collect metadata from phone calls. The Rubio attack is referring to the senator's relatively poor attendance record since his campaign ramped up earlier this year.
The pro-Bush ad contrasted the three Republicans with Bush, who has the support of a number of former military officers.
"Twenty-seven generals and admirals support Jeb Bush because Jeb has the experience and knowledge to protect your family," the narrator continued.
Bush's campaign has lagged in the polls since the summer and has ratcheted up its attacks on Rubio in particular in recent weeks. Both Rubio and Cruz have surged in recent polling, often placing No. 2. and No. 3 behind Trump, who has long been the Republican front-runner in primary surveys.
Super PACs are legally prohibited from coordinating with the campaigns they support, but Right to Rise USA is closely tied with Bush. It is headed by a longtime ally of the former governor, and Bush himself helped the PAC raise gobs of money while he was still technically exploring a campaign.
The Times reported that the new ad is part of an initial $3.7 million buy. It will run in the early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada, and nationally on Fox News.