Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's flagging campaign can blame its troubles on the campaign not having a real purpose, former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan tells
Newsmax TV.
Noonan told "Newsmax Prime" guest host Ric Blackwell that all successful candidacies are the answer to a question that is important to the base of their party.
"I don't think Jeb Bush, at the end of the day, was the answer this year to any question the base was asking," said Noonan, author of the book
"The Time of Our Lives," a chronicle of her years in the Reagan White House and a career in journalism and politics.
Watch Newsmax TV on DirectTV Ch. 349, DISH Ch. 223 and Verizon FiOS Ch. 115. Get Newsmax TV on your cable system –
Click Here Now
Though Bush was a successful two-term governor, he doesn’t have national political talents, Noonan added.
"He seemed unsure of why he was there essentially," she said. "I mean all great candidacies can answer their own question, 'Why am I here? What am I trying to do in history?' Jeb's answer seems to be, 'I've done well in the past, I'll do well in the future,' but that's not enough for … a world on fire as we experience it now."
Click here to get Peggy Noonan's new book
"The Time of Our Lives," a chronicle of her years in the Reagan White House and a career in journalism and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.