Jeb Bush’s signals test loyalties of Christie backers

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Jeb Bush’s increasingly serious and public examination of a run for president is shaking up the ranks of establishment Republican donors and fundraisers who had planned to back Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey in 2016, forcing many of them to rethink their allegiance.

In private conversations that are now seeping into public view, some of them are signaling to Christie’s camp that, should Bush enter the race, their first loyalty would be to him, not to Christie, according to interviews with more than two dozen people.

Many of those who, because of geography and personal ties, were expected to line up behind Christie, said they now feel torn. And it is clear that Christie’s recent troubles, especially a controversy over politically motivated lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, are adding to the allure of Bush, a former Florida governor.

Lawrence Bathgate, a former finance chairman of the Republican National Committee and a major donor in New Jersey, said he dreaded the prospect of having to choose between the two men, calling it “a fraught decision.”

David Hedley, a former Wall Street executive and Republican fundraiser in New Jersey, said he also felt tugged in two directions, conceding that “it’s tough right now for me.”

And Christine Todd Whitman, a former Republican governor of New Jersey, put it this way: “It would be awkward. It would be very awkward.”

Nowhere is the consternation greater than among the hundreds of top donors and “bundlers” who cut their teeth on Bush family political campaigns. If Bush runs, they must choose between bucking their ties to the first family of Republican politics or turning their back on Christie, who does not take well to disloyalty.

“Those of us that have been dedicated to the Bush family for years would obviously have to take a Jeb candidacy into extremely serious consideration,” said Fred Zeidman, a Texas businessman and top fundraiser for George W. Bush’s two presidential campaigns who has helped introduce Christie to potential supporters in his state.

Christie and Bush have not officially declared their intentions for 2016. Christie’s advisers have said his political focus this year remains on leading the Republican Governors Association, which has broken fundraising records during Christie’s tenure as chairman, which began in November.

The presidential chatter is “irrelevant to us,” said William Palatucci, Christie’s top adviser and a former law partner. “You know it’s out there, but it’s just not part of our conversation.”

Bush’s public flirtation with a White House bid, however, has interrupted Christie’s carefully honed plan to rebuild the faith of donors shaken by a series of high-profile scandals and resignations within his administration.

Until Bush emerged as a potential 2016 contender, these donors said, they had no real alternative but to hope for Christie’s rehabilitation.

“They feel good about Jeb,” said Barry Wynn, a fundraiser for George W. Bush and a former chairman of the Republican Party in South Carolina. “They don’t have any questions about his integrity.”

The family name, he said, remains a powerful draw. “They love the Bush family,” Wynn said. “They love the whole package, and they feel Jeb is just a part of the package.”

In interviews, a number of the donors and fundraisers acknowledged that the interest in Bush was a measure of the creeping doubts about Christie’s ability to either fully rebound from his troubles or to win over conservative skeptics to secure the Republican nomination.

“I don’t know that Chris will be there at the end of the day,” said Whitman, who has previously endorsed Christie for governor and has donated to his campaign.

Gauging the softening of Christie’s support among Republican donors is difficult: He is now raising money almost exclusively for Republican governors who are up for re-election, not for himself.

Still, some donors acknowledged that the qualities that made Christie seem special were equally present in Bush, who thrived in a politically diverse swing state and has forcefully challenged Republican orthodoxy on immigration and education.

At risk for Christie is not just the electoral affections of Bush loyalists but also the backing of a still-potent national network of wealthy Republican donors and bundlers who propelled three Bushes to high office and who provided Mitt Romney with an overwhelming fundraising advantage in 2012.

Front Section, Pages 7 on 05/03/2014