Jeb rallies in Clear Lake, Iowa.

Jeb Iowa

Jeb Iowa

David Blondin

For small towns like Clear Lake, Iowa every four years presidential candidates come and clamor for the attention of men and women in local cafes, Veterans of Foreign Wars and town-halls.

With a blast of country music and a standing ovation, Jeb Bush walked to the front of the room. With his introduction being handled by a medal-of-honor recipient, Bush launched into a speech touching a myriad of subjects while concisely expressing his stance on each, before opening up for questions.

Bush was very adamant on a fully equipped military in the interest of global security, citing Russian and radical-Islamic threats. Despite his stance on re-arming the military, he gave a different approach to nuclear weapons. Bush supported the idea of partial nuclear disarmament. This is a sharp contrast to other neo-conservatives who want to preserve American power by the maintenance of its nuclear arsenal.

Samantha Meyer, a Deputy Campaign Director for Global Zero (a nuclear disarmament group,) was pleased with the rhetoric Bush used but was not confident in the governor’s ability to implement his plan.

Most of Bush’s speech was centered on his success as governor of the state of Florida. Bush referenced in his speech his ability to balance budgets, stimulate theeconomy to provide a surplus; as well as his focus on reforming social service programs. One example that he provided was his reforms when it came to education.

Nate, a freshman at Drake University and a volunteer with the Bush campaign, stated that his support for Bush was anchored in the governor’s stances on economic and national security issues. Nate had researched the track record of several candidates and thought Bush would be the best national leader.

Currently Bush is only in fifth place among likely voters in Iowa, with only three days remaining before the big night. This does not sound too promising, but Nate remains confident in Bush’s ability to turn voters out. The last two Iowa Republican caucuses have failed to predict the party’s eventual nominee. Bush’s result in Monday’s caucuses will shape the direction of his campaign, and will affect his momentum heading into the New Hampshire primary.