WASHINGTON — “I’m not an expert on the ways of Washington,” Jeb Bush told conservatives last month when he was asked about a funding dispute in Congress.

Mr. Bush, the former Florida governor, has sounded that theme regularly in his fledgling presidential campaign. But even as he positions himself as a Washington outsider, he seems to have mastered a skill that is crucial in this city: tapping into the money-raising clout of the K Street lobbyists, political operatives, superlawyers and business leaders in Washington’s permanent class.

Although not yet an official presidential candidate, Mr. Bush has had at least seven private fund-raisers and meet-and-greets in the Washington area, raising more than $1.3 million for his political action committee in a single day last month, and he has scheduled another one in April. His success is hardly surprising: For more than two decades, Washington has provided Mr. Bush, the son and brother of former presidents, with financial and political support.

“Washington is a deep well for Jeb. There’s a lot of support for him here,” said Tony Fratto, a Washington consultant who worked at the White House under George W. Bush, Mr. Bush’s brother, and pitched in $5,000 for a Bush fund-raiser last month.