Jeb to foes: Tough luck "Money helps. I’m playing by the rules of the game, the way it’s laid out."

Jeb Bush offered no apologies to those perturbed by his $120 million war chest, raised over six months largely by the candidate himself for his campaign and super PAC, during an interview at a private conference of wealthy conservative donors he’s hoping will contribute even more to his campaign.

Bush was the last of five GOP presidential hopefuls to be questioned over the weekend by POLITICO’s Mike Allen at the Freedom Partners summit, a conference for donors to a network of conservative groups overseen by the billionaire Koch brothers. The candidate’s full-throated and at times glib defense of his shock-and-awe fundraising approach drew laughter from some in the room.


“I think you might as well front-load it if you can,” said Bush, who put off announcing his official campaign until nearly the end of the year’s second quarter in order to barnstorm the country to raise $103 million in uncapped contributions for his Right to Rise super PAC.

“I mean, this is a long haul. Are you supposed to just warm up, just kind of work your way into it? Am I missing something here?” he said to more laughter. “I’m running hard, I’m running to win; I’m not running to come in third, I’m not running to, to, you know, have it on my résumé that I ran for president.

“This is not the purpose. The purpose is to run with purpose, run with heart, run in a way that draws people towards our cause, and money helps. Money helps. I’m playing by the rules of the game, the way it’s laid out. And if people don’t like it, that’s just tough luck.”

The network of Koch-backed groups represented at the three-day summit in Dana Point, California, has promised to spend $889 million in the run-up to the 2016 election, most of it after the GOP has settled on its nominee.

During the 30-minute conversation with Allen, Bush covered a range of topics.

He blasted the Obama administration’s new carbon rules, which take effect Monday, as “a disaster” and “jobs-killer.”

Bush also vowed, should he be elected president, not to accept tax hikes in exchange for spending cuts as part of any budget compromise, a change of position since his 2012 appearance before the House Budget Committee, when he said he’d accept $10 in cuts for every $1 in new taxes and criticized Grover Norquist’s no-tax pledge, which many Republicans have signed.

Asked by Allen whether he was effectively endorsing that pledge now, Bush said that wasn’t the case. Fulfilling his promise of 4 percent economic growth, he argued, would generate additional revenue without raising taxes.

“I don’t sign pledges,” said the former Florida governor. “I actually have the benefit of a record where I cut taxes every year — every year — $19 billion worth of taxes.

“I don’t have to sign pledges. It’s in my core. It’s who I am.”

Bush argued that his record of executive leadership sets him apart from his rivals in the Senate who lack executive experience.

“Executive leadership,” he said, “is different than talking about things.”

Carly Fiorina and Scott Walker were interviewed by Allen on Saturday, while Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz preceded Bush on stage Sunday.