Washington (CNN) Jeb Bush has tried everything.
His campaign allies have blanketed the airwaves with almost $30 million in ads. Aiming to shake the "low-energy" tag and prove his toughness, Bush hit Donald Trump as a carnival barker unfit for the serious job of being President. He attacked Sen. Marco Rubio, suggesting his former protégé was a dilettante in a hurry. He cut staff, hired a debate coach, and pledged that "Jeb Can Fix It."
Bush is now polling at 3% -- and dropping.
The 3% figure puts Bush in sixth place in the national GOP race, according to the CNN/ORC poll released Friday morning. It's the latest insult and disappointment for Bush, a son and brother of presidents, the conservative former two-term governor of Florida and the man who started the race as the unquestioned establishment favorite.
With two months left before the Iowa caucuses, Bush is saddled with the nagging questions: What happened? And is there anything the self-proclaimed "joyful tortoise" can do to turn things around?
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Bush has struggled to gain traction and settle on a distinctive message to set him apart from his Republican opponents. He has often said that elections are about the future, but his major accomplishments happened more than a decade ago. And vowing to be his own man who isn't tied to the politics and policies of his older brother, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush has also said his family ties give him insights into foreign policy while his campaign brought on advisers from the old days.
Bush's stump speech has fluctuated as well. He used to frequently talk about his Mexican-born wife, Columba, lapse into Spanish, and promise to campaign with "brazos abiertos" -- arms wide open -- touting his appeal to non-white voters. Now, he doesn't mention his Hispanic ties quite as often.
Given the success of political outsiders Trump and Ben Carson, asked if this was simply the wrong year for a former two-term governor like him, Bush said no. And he insists that there is still plenty of time for his well-funded state-by-state campaign to catch on among Republican voters who have largely viewed his candidacy with a shrug.
"In Iowa it's a question of organization, in New Hampshire, it's retail politics. In South Carolina, a great organization matters. I'm making great progress in those states. And we have the best campaign in Nevada," Bush said Wednesday morning in an interview with Iowa Public Television. "So, look, in October, in November, even in December of the last two election cycles, the people that were winning in December weren't the ones that ended up winning. It's just the nature of the beast, and there's no reason to rewrite history. People make up their minds late."
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[bIn New Hampshire, where Bush is in single digits, voters have opened their mailboxes over the last days to find direct mail pieces aimed at helping them make up their minds. The pieces make the central arguments of Bush's campaign -- that he was "Veto Corleone" in Florida, could shake up Washington and that he is a doer, not a talker a clear swipe at Trump.
On Monday, his campaign rolled out a video called "Storm Governor" that highlighted Bush's leadership after Hurricane Ivan hit the Sunshine State in 2004. But the video, which includes footage of a not-yet-grey Bush, is also a reminder that convincing New Hampshire voters what he did 11 years ago in Florida is relevant is a hard case to make.[/b]
Bush has continued to emphasize his seriousness and experience, especially in the national security field. A new ad called "Honor" featuring Medal of Honor winners started airing in New Hampshire and Boston on Wednesday on Fox News -- the spot is part of a $600,000 ad buy that will run for three weeks.
"This is no reality show. This is serious business," says retired Marine Maj. Gen. James Livingston, who has been helping Bush in South Carolina. "This is about the livelihood of our kids and grandkids." Then, with a picture of President Barack Obama on the screen: "This commander-in-chief requires training wheels."
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