Walker on Bush: We Need Name From Future, Not Past

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has taken potshots at two of his potential GOP rivals in the race for the White House, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

During his visit to the early presidential voting state of New Hampshire, Walker claimed that Bush’s political dynasty will hurt his chances in 2016, while also noting that picking an establishment Republican like Bush has had poor results for the GOP "in the past."

In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Walker said, "Jeb's a good man. You're not going to hear me speak ill will of Jeb. He's a friend of mine. He called me two days before [announcing] his PAC. I think highly of him."

However, referring to Bush’s father, George H.W. Bush, and brother George W. Bush, both former presidents, Walker continued, "I just think voters are going to look at this and say, 'If we're running against Hillary Clinton, we'll need a name from the future — not a name from the past — to win.'"

Walker, who is a front-runner in the race with Bush, added, "We had Bob Dole, John McCain, Mitt Romney. If it's just whoever's next up, that hasn't worked so well for the Republican Party in the past."

When it comes to fundraising, Walker once again brought up the Bush dynasty — but this this time he admitted that the famous family name helped his rival’s bottom line.

"There's a lot of people who are loyal to that family because of an ambassadorship or an appointment or something like that, so those people are going to show up big on his first report," Walker said in Manchester, N.H.

"What we're hoping going forward are not donors of obligation but donors of passion, people who are passionate about the reforms we bring to the table."

Walker, who has not yet officially announced his 2016 candidacy for the GOP nomination, also returned fire at Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, another possible presidential contender, after Rubio had claimed that he’s more experienced than the Wisconsin governor.

Rubio said that as a senator and a member of the foreign relations and intelligence committees, he has far more knowledge on foreign policy than any current or previous governors, which would also include ex-Gov. Bush.

But Walker said, "I think [Rubio's] great at foreign policy and other issues, but I just think there's a difference. In my lifetime, the most significant president in terms of foreign policy was a governor — Ronald Reagan. The most important ingredient in foreign policy is leadership."

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