Younger Bushes take the stage

Jeb Bush is getting help from his two sons as he seeks to rally millennial donors behind his likely presidential campaign.

The former Florida governor is traveling to Washington next week to meet with potential donors, and will be bringing along Jeb Bush Jr., 31, according to an invitation to the event that was obtained by The Hill.

{mosads}Bush Jr. is not as well known in the political world as his older brother, the 39 year-old Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, so his appearance at the event could indicate he will play a major role in his father’s White House bid. 

“This is about Bush trying to attract the next wave of GOP donors who are skeptical of Bush because he’s seen as too old school,” said one Republican donor attending the event who hasn’t committed to a 2016 candidate.

The reception is being held by Right to Rise, a political action committee that Jeb Bush launched early this year in preparation for a presidential bid. 

Tickets to the reception are $50 each, which is low by Washington fundraising standards, but the event appears aimed mostly at pulling prominent young donors towards Jeb’s camp. Organizers also said it’s a way to lure young talent into a prospective campaign. 

A close personal friend of Bush Jr., whose birth name is John Prescott Ellis, said that he’s prepared to go “all in to make sure his father wins the presidency” by focusing on “the niche of young professionals.” 

“He’s been actively assembling a network across the country in terms of the up-and-rising Republican young professionals,” the friend of Bush Jr. said. “He’s assembling a preliminary team right now to get that skeleton up and ready when the time comes.”

The D.C. event could help Bush Jr. escape the shadow of his older, more politically-minded brother. 

Bushworld is hoping that both sons will inject energy in his campaign, with their fresh faces potentially helping to counter “Bush burnout” among voters who might be leery of electing a third member of the family to be president. 

Jeb also has a daughter, Noelle, 37, who has opted to remain largely out of the public eye. 

One of the new challenges emerging for Jeb is the rise of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), who could seize the conservative mantle to try and attack Bush from the right. 

“Jeb’s challenge is that he has to become Jeb — not Bush,” said the undeclared GOP donor. “Walker’s going to say, ‘I’m the new boy, you’re the old boy.’ “

But officials around Bush are determined to try and counter the impression that Jeb is an establishment throwback by attracting support from young voters — which is where his sons come in.

On Friday, Bush Jr. held a conference call with the organizers of next week’s reception, which one person who listened in described as “a fire-up call.”

“He talked about the importance of doing outreach to youth and Hispanic voters,” one of the event’s organizers said. 

For Bush Jr., who has a wife Sandra and two daughters, the outreach effort is personal. His mother, Columba, is Hispanic, and he has worked in Miami real estate and for his father’s firm, Jeb Bush & Associates. 

He also his a political committee, the SunPAC, which has worked to attract Hispanic conservatives for five years. 

A spokeswoman for Bush Jr. did not respond to a request for comment.