Bush brings less-government mantra to Las Vegas
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush came to Las Vegas on Thursday, bringing his message of less government regulation as a path to economic prosperity.
"The idea that you can solve every problem with another rule doesn't work," Bush said. "It is stifling our ability to rise up."
About 150 people attended Bush's town hall event at Veterans Memorial Leisure Services Center on the western edge of the valley.
"Our future is bright if we embrace the unforeseen and accept the fact that in the free market economy, people really choosing how to do these things, disrupting the old order creates more prosperity for more people than any government program ever created — that is the greatness of our country," the former Florida governor said.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are seeking the Democratic Party's nomination.
Bush criticized Sanders' proposed spending increases and cast himself as a governor with a record of vetoing proposed projects regardless of the sponsors' political persuasion.
"We created a priority that government should not grow faster than our ability to pay for it," Bush said of his record in the Sunshine State.
Bush started the early election season riding high in the polls, buoyed in part by strong name recognition as the son and brother of two former presidents.
In recent months, his popularity has weakened. Likely voters have shown a preference — in polls at least — for candidates without the typical political portfolio of experience as an elected official.
More than a dozen Republican candidates are seeking the GOP nomination. This summer, billionaire businessman Donald Trump has consistently led Republican candidates in most polls, followed by retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson. The nationally televised GOP debate Wednesday also boosted the profile of Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard.
Nevada is an early voting state with February caucuses that play a key role in determining who gets the two parties' nominations for president. Other early voting states are New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina.
Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1.
