Jeb Bush to visit Iowa next month

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will make his first trip to Iowa as a potential presidential candidate on March 7, The Des Moines Register reports.

{mosads}Bush will attend the Iowa Agricultural Summit in Des Moines, along with other Republican presidential hopefuls, such as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Donald Trump and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. 

The stop for Bush comes amid questions as to how hard he will campaign in Iowa, which is not generally as supportive of establishment candidates such as himself. 

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) said last week that he had spoken to Bush and urged him to contest the state and to come to the agricultural summit. 

The summit is a new event and a forum for presidential candidates to discuss views on agriculture. It is hosted by Bruce Rastetter, a major Republican donor in Iowa.

A Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll released over the weekend illustrates Bush’s challenges in the state. The poll showed Walker in the lead, at 15 percent, after a strong showing at a summit in Iowa last month, which Bush did not attend. The former Florida governor came in fifth in the poll. 

The poll found that there are concerns among Iowa Republicans about Bush’s support for the Common Core education standards and immigration reform. Thirty percent said those positions are a “deal killer,” and 33 percent say they are something to consider before supporting him.