(Updated to include comments from Weir campaign and fundraising efforts by Davids’ campaign)
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday endorsed Amanda Adkins in the 3rd District congressional race over her Republican rivals.
“Amanda Adkins has a track record in business and a heart for people,” Bush said in a statement.
“Amanda is reform-minded, data-driven, fiscally responsible and innovative,” the former presidential candidate said.
“As someone who can bring people together for a purpose, Amanda is exactly the type of leader the Republican Party needs in Washington. I am proud to support her.”
Bush’s endorsement comes days after Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz backed Adkins in the race.
Adkins won those endorsements over Republican rivals Sara Hart Weir, Adrienne Vallejo Foster, Mike Beehler and Tom Love, a late and relatively unknown entrant to the race.
“Gov. Bush has been a leading voice in the Republican party for many years, and it is an honor to receive support from someone who has spent their life advancing the message of conservatism, fiscal responsibility, and the value of life,” Adkins said.
A spokesman for Weir derided the endorsement as “low-energy.”
The Bush endorsement does a couple things for Adkins, strategists said.
It demonstrates that Adkins is drawing support from the moderate and conservative wings of the Republican Party.
“That’s the goal that she wants,” said one GOP operative.
“Jeb Bush is kind of old news,” the strategist said. “The Ted Cruz endorsement means more, even in Johnson County.
“It’s still a primary and the Cruz endorsement will mean more than the Bush endorsement,” the source said.
The Bush endorsement also gives her moderate Republican support if she advances to the general election where Democratic incumbent Sharice Davids will likely pound on Adkins’ association with former Gov. Sam Brownback.
Adkins chaired the state Republican Party at the height of former Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration.
During Adkins’ tenure as state party chairwoman, the GOP gained 16 seats in the Kansas Legislature during the 2010 midterm elections and Brownback swept into office.
She steered Brownback’s re-election campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2004. Brownback, later as governor, appointed Adkins to the Kansas Children’s Cabinet.
A spokesman for Weir disregarded the endorsement.
“The endorsement is as low-energy as the rest of Amanda’s campaign,” said Jared Suhn, a consultant for the Weir campaign.
“But it tells you a lot about who Amanda Adkins is – a corporate lobbyist and establishment insider who thinks that 2020 is the ‘year of Jeb.'”
Suhn said Weir is the only candidate who has received support from national Republicans, including the Republican women’s groups VIEW PAC and Maggie’s List.
Meanwhile, the Davids campaign has used Cruz’s endorsement to raise money, emphasizing her ties to Brownback.
“Brownback’s hand-picked candidate has picked up an endorsement from conservative darling, Ted Cruz,” the Davids campaign said in an email that went out this week.
“Sharice has championed the issues that matter most to Kansans: access to healthcare, equality for all, and an economy that works for everyone.
“She’s proven she’ll stand up for Kansas families no matter what – and we can’t afford to lose her leadership in Congress.
The email concluded: “Meanwhile, our GOP opponents are aligning themselves with Trump and the GOP establishment.
