Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says he "hated" being the GOP front-runner earlier this year because of the high expectations it set for him ahead of a long campaign season.
"I hated that," Bush told John Dickerson on CBS' Face The Nation in an interview that aired Sunday, as the host described the former Florida governor's position at the outset of the race. "I feel much better back here."
Bush was considered a Republican front-runner for a brief moment early this summer, and the clear favorite among GOP establishment candidates made evident in his fundraising efforts, which has since slowed, The Wall Street Journal reported.
However, weak showings on the debate stage and the campaign trail alongside a primary season that has been defined by outsider candidates such as Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Ben Carson all have appeared to be a roadblock for Bush. Now, less than two months before the Iowa caucuses, Bush has sunk to fifth place among Republican voters, often polling around five percent, according to aggreaged polls from RealClear Politics.
Although, to some, the Bush family name may have spelled out a degree of inevitability in the beginning. Bush also indicated that his family pedigree has pressure that comes with it.
"I’ve always thought that there was going to be a high expectation for me, I totally get it, because I have brother that was president, a father that was president. And that higher expectation was important to realize," said Bush, Mediaite reported.
However, Bush attempted to brush off the pressure that comes with those expectations.
"Being the front-runner made me feel like that people are going to begin to say, well, the guy is just dancing right through this. I have to go earn it," he said, according to The Washington Post. "I have higher expectations on me than people have of me. So, it doesn't bother me a bit that the expectations are high."
Check out Bush's Face The Nation interview below:
