WASHINGTON -- A super PAC backing Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush released its first negative ad on Tuesday, a national security-themed spot contrasting the former governor of Florida with three of his rivals for the nomination: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and businessman Donald Trump.
The 30-second ad, paid for by the Right to Rise super PAC, dismisses Trump as brash and irresponsible, calls out Cruz for voting to end a National Security Agency program that collects bulk metadata of U.S. citizens and attacks Rubio for his absenteeism in the Senate.
"When the attacks come here, the person behind this desk will have to protect your family," says the ad's narrator as a graphic of the Oval Office shows on screen. "Will he be impulsive and reckless, like Donald Trump? Will he have voted to dramatically weaken counterterrorism surveillance, like Ted Cruz? Will he have skipped crucial national security hearings and votes just to campaign, like Marco Rubio?"
The spot concludes by noting that 27 retired generals and admirals have endorsed Bush's candidacy "because Jeb has the experience and knowledge to protect your family." Right to Rise spent an undisclosed amount to air the ad in the early primary and caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
Despite having no extensive military experience himself, Bush's campaign has been touting the candidate's preparedness and leadership amid rising fears over renewed attacks by terrorists from the self-described Islamic State. Last month, Bush called for a more aggressive approach to defeating the group, including inserting additional U.S. ground troops in Iraq and Syria.
Right to Rise has already spent approximately $30 million of its more than $100 million haul on largely positive television ads meant to introduce Bush to GOP primary voters. That it is turning its attention to other Republican candidates signals a tactical shift, one that comes in the wake of Bush's decline in national polls and his inability to break through in either the crucial Iowa or New Hampshire contests.
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