Former first lady Barbara Bush listens to her son, Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speak during a campaign stop at Wade’s Restaurant, Friday, Feb. 19, 2016 in Spartanburg, S.C. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)ROCK HILL, South Carolina (AP) – Jeb Bush has long kept his family at arm’s length in his effort to become commander-in-chief, but with the South Carolina primary looming, he’s embracing them like never before in the state that has historically stood by the Bush family in its previous White House bids.
It’s a drastic shift from the approach he took at the start of his campaign hinting at how precarious his fortunes have become.
Now, with his back to the wall, Bush is grabbing hold of the legacy, and hoping his front-row view of the world’s most difficult job means more to South Carolina’s military-minded Republican voters than a few awkward exchanges on the campaign trail ahead of Saturday’s critical primary.
In Beaufort, S.C., Wednesday, Bush told an audience he had experienced “watching history unfold, in a unique way,” a reference to his father’s and brother’s wartime administrations.
Bush’s best-known South Carolina advocate, the state’s senior Sen. Lindsey Graham, echoed that sentiment, stressing that Bush’s family is one of his biggest strengths and assets.