CORALVILLE, Iowa — Jeb Bush says he misjudged the intensity of anger among Republican voters before his White House campaign and believes the country in 2016 is ''dramatically different'' than in past elections.
Yet he insists he's still a viable candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, and one who has broadened his mission to include defending conservativism from GOP front-runner Donald Trump.
''I just think it's important to fight this fight,'' a reflective Bush said in an interview. ''I don't know what the consequences politically for me are. But I do think it's important that the conservative party nominate a conservative, and someone that understands the role of America in the world.''
In particular, Bush reaffirmed his commitment to conservative social issues.
He said the Supreme Court should overturn its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling affirming abortion rights. And, as he has for weeks, he pummeled Trump incessantly — and accused him of hijacking conservatism.
But as the state's leadoff Feb. 1 caucuses draw closer, the Republican Party's summertime front-runner shows few signs of momentum. Bush is favored by just 4 percent of likely caucus-goers in the Iowa Poll, published Wednesday by The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg News, down two points in the past month and mired in sixth place.