Ledyard King

USATODAY

CLEVELAND – Jeb Bush’s public decision not to endorse Donald Trump is threatening to tarnish the legacy of one of Florida’s most revered Republican figures.

Prominent Florida GOP activists attending the Republican National Convention in Cleveland are expressing disappointment, even disgust, that the former Florida governor has declined to board the Trump train, breaking his earlier pledge to support the party's eventual nominee.

Bill Paterson, chairman of the St. Lucie County Republican Party, called Bush’s continued public opposition to Trump “a shame” that will be difficult for many to forgive.

“He welshed on a promise that he made and that’s never a good sign,” said Paterson, noting that county GOP chairs around the state have endorsed Trump. “We’re Republicans. We keep our word.”

When the former Florida governor entered the race for president last year, much of the state's GOP establishment rallied behind him, extolling his record in near-reverential tones. But Bush bowed out in February after a lackluster showing. Meanwhile, Trump, who had mocked Bush as “low energy,” steamrolled to the nomination.

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Initially, many Florida Republicans were reluctant to support the brash billionaire, who had derided both Bush and another favorite son -- Sen. Marco Rubio. But when Bush broke his promise to support the eventual nominee, party activists privately seethed, perceiving a threat to the GOP's chances of winning the White House and of keeping control of Congress.

“Jeb is an extreme disappointment,” said Charlotte County GOP chairman Bill Folchi. “He has lost my support now and in the future. We worked hard for him. He just didn’t have what our voters wanted.”

Bush reiterated his opposition to Trump in an interview last week on MSNBC.

“Donald Trump is barely a Republican. He's certainly not a conservative,” he said. “I can't vote for Donald Trump and I can't vote for (presumptive Democratic nominee) Hillary Clinton. It breaks my heart.”

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Bush isn’t alone. The 2012 GOP nominee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, as well as former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush are among those who defiantly won’t back Trump.

Rubio has endorsed Trump but has made it clear he disagrees with him on key issues, such as immigration and foreign policy.

Rep. Jeff Miller, the Pensacola-area congressman who backed Bush before pivoting to Trump, said he’s “very disappointed” the former governor won’t endorse the real estate mogul.

“I had said for a year that whoever the nominee was, thinking it was going to be Bush, that everybody needed to be prepared to coalesce around our candidate," Miller said. “And it’s disappointing to me that Jeb will not get behind the nominee.”

Some party activists at the GOP convention view Bush less harshly.

State Sens. Joe Negron, who represents the Treasure Coast, and Lizbeth Benacquisto, who represents Southwest Florida – both Bush backers - declined to second-guess the former governor.

“We’re all here to celebrate being Republicans and pushing forward with a very conservative agenda and winning in November,” Benacquisto said. “What each individual chooses to do is a very personal matter. He wants the best for our country and he will always work from that angle.”

Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida, said Florida’s voters may not share the disdain for Bush expressed by party activists.

“I think a lot of people here are in the moment and their overriding desire is to leave (the convention) united,” she said. “But does it upset a lot of Floridians? No. They just understand that (Bush) lost and his family is not on board with Trump. And let’s face it: Some Republicans back home are not on board, either.”

Twitter: @ledgeking