Bush 1 abandoned the Reagan legacy and became a one term proposition for it. The Rockefeller wing of the GOP never understood Reagan and never bought into Reagan’s principles.
Jeb Bush is probably the best politician of the three - but he is a middle of the road type guy. Florida is a different animal - GOP Governor’s there - Crist/Bush - made a political living riding the fence because that is what gets you elected in Florida - not firebrand conservatism. That is why the Rockefeller GOP likes GOP Governors from Florida so much - the demographics favor them.
They are blind to the fact that it won’t translate to the conservative base in the rest of the country. As popular as Rubio was prior to the shamnesty debacle, I would argue Rubio would have had a better shot at being elected President than Governor of Florida.
I hate saying it, but this reality carries huge ramifications for the GOP nationally moving forward. Florida is gradually shifting towards becoming a reliable pickup for the rats in Presidential elections and when that happens, regardless of adding millions of reliable rat voters thanks to Rubio and gang, the GOP is done in the White House statistically - can’t get there without Florida.
Florida will turn blue. If you go to the Tampa, St Pete, Clearwater area, you will have seen over the past 10 years a vast invasion by criminal illegal Mexicans. They are pouring in.
I am starting to believe that before they leave the Sewer of Mexico, that these criminals are "told" which state to settle in.
I can imagine the RATs orchestrating the invasion so as to turn critical RED states blue.
After all, how would these illegals just happen to know to invade the Clearwater area?