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Columba Bush, the wife of expected Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush, continued to increase her public profile this week with an op-ed on domestic violence in Iowa's biggest newspaper. Her Des Moines Register op-ed asked readers to offer their support for the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, where Bush writes she spent "quality time" on Friday. "It was inspiring to learn from our domestic violence leaders about the transforming process that Iowa implemented to maximize limited financial resources while creating a regional-based comprehensive service delivery program for domestic violence survivors and their children," she wrote.

Few political spouses in recent memory have been as wary of the spotlight as Columba Bush, Jeb's wife of 41 years. But her husband's presidential potential means the spotlight is about to find her. Now and then in an otherwise unmemorable speech, Jeb Bush will drop a mention of his wife, like a sudden pop of color. At an event in Nevada this March, one of his first speeches of this campaign season, before a crowd of what The Washington Post called “everyday Americans,” Bush opened with a husband-still-in-thrall routine. His life, he said, can be divided into two parts:...

Jeb Bush will have learned from this week's firestorm over his Iraq War comments, says Karl Rove, the Republican strategist who helped steer his brother to the White House. "He's a very smart guy. He's not a guy who needs the lesson taught to him twice," Rove told TODAY's Savannah Guthrie on Friday. -snip- Rove said he hasn't endorsed Bush — or any of the other Republican candidates who have formally declared their presidential bid. The the strategist said he was months away from making his decision. "I want everybody to get in as a candidate and then start showing...

The wife and son of GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush will hit Chicago Thursday for a fundraising event. Columba Bush and Jeb Bush, Jr. are scheduled to make appearances at a luncheon at the Union League Club, located at 65 West Jackson Blvd., according to Lynn Sweet in the Chicago Sun-Times. Seats at the luncheon cost between $2,500 and $250,000 and will fund the Bush super pac "Right to Rise," Sweet reported. Columba isn't known to be a political heavy hitter for her husband, but she has lately taken the reins on several fundraising events, particularly in Florida, to support...

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush may be the most popular Republican presidential hopeful nationwide, but he trails his rivals badly in the critical state of Iowa, according to a new poll released Wednesday. Only 5% of likely Iowa GOP caucus-goers told Quinnipiac University pollsters that they planned to vote for Bush, placing him No. 7 in the field of declared or potential 2016 candidates. Even worse for Bush: He may not have as much room to grow over the next year as other candidates do. One-quarter of Republicans said they definitely could not support Bush, the lowest ceiling of support...

The man at the microphone spoke in a language most Republican presidential primary voters do not understand. "You are part of the new wave of hope for this country," Jeb Bush said in fluent Spanish to the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference this week. Switching to English, he said the U.S. needs immigrants for the country "to become young and dynamic again." It doesn't seem to matter that Hispanic voters typically do not have much say in Republican primaries. The former Florida governor's play to Hispanic values and policy goals has begun to shape his young political operation. Well before...