The potential Senate candidacy of Jeb Bush is clearing the decks of Democratic and Republican challengers in the Sunshine State — as intended.  

Politicians from both sides of the aisle said the former governor of Florida and brother of President Bush is popular enough to scare away Republican and Democratic challengers before many really consider a bid for the seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R).

“He’s going to take his time to decide this, but it’s his for the taking,” agreed Washington lobbyist Al Cardenas, a two-term chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and one of Bush’s closest friends. “He’s been really disappointed with the party’s performance, and he sees this as a chance to reinvigorate it and help it follow a new path. This is a call to arms for him.”  

Bush, who served two terms as Florida governor, issued a statement Wednesday saying he has “not ruled out” a bid for the Senate. He also began making multiple consultation calls late Tuesday, sounding out top Republicans across the state about the feasibility of a campaign and his potential impact in the Senate.  

“It’s family first for him, but I think he’s come around to realize since he left office that he still has a really significant role to play in the party,” said former House Speaker John Thrasher of Jacksonville, a longtime Bush friend and ally. “He’ll make his decision in the next month or two, but just indicating this has helped push everyone else aside.”  

Giving pause to politicians mulling the race was surely a reason Bush issued the statement. Cardenas said if Bush jumps in, would-be Republican challengers would be pressed to step aside.  

None of the likely GOP candidates — former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, Rep. Adam Putnam and Attorney General Bill McCollum — have issued official declarations after their initial statements of interest on Tuesday.  

Another possible GOP candidate on Wednesday said he would consider entering the race — but not if Bush is interested. Former House Speaker Allan Bense of Panama City, who considered a Senate bid in 2006 and whose wealth would make him a formidable opponent, said he expects all Republicans would bow to Bush.  

“All of us will lay down for Jeb,” Bense said.  

Democrats are wary as well. Butterworth said he is being urged to run but hasn’t considered it, while Alex Sink, the state’s former chief financial officer, delayed a planned announcement to run for reelection but hasn’t officially expressed a Senate candidacy. U.S. Reps. Allen Boyd, Kendrick Meek and Ron Klein are also interested but haven’t made any declaration.  

“I’m not saying no, but for the moment I’m focused on my congressional duties,” Klein said Wednesday.  

The Florida legislature in 2007 amended state law to allow state officials to keep their jobs while running for federal office — but the law doesn’t apply to Congress members. As a result, a state official might be more likely to take on Bush than a member of Florida’s congressional delegation.   

Cardenas said Bush wants the Republican Party to re-examine its philosophical roots, cleanse itself of ethical improprieties and redouble its outreach efforts to Hispanic and younger voters. Republican presidential candidate John McCain received just 31 percent of the Hispanic vote in the presidential election, while Bush speaks fluent Spanish and has deep roots in Florida’s Hispanic community.  

Many see Bush as a stronger candidate than the incumbent Martinez, who had an approval rating of only 42 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll last month.  

“The GOP’s chances are dramatically better today than they were yesterday,” said Quinnipiac polling Assistant Director Peter Brown. “People had made up their minds about Martinez.”  

Bush left office in December 2006 with a 57 percent approval rating as measured by a Quinnipiac poll, and Brown noted those were typical throughout the governor’s two terms. Brown said those numbers and the fact that Florida voters historically distinguished between the two brothers means the governor is likely to avoid being affected by his brother’s unpopularity.  

“Florida voters have shown in the past that they consider George Bush and Jeb Bush two very different people,” said Brown. 

“If he runs, the nomination is his. And frankly, it would have to be a very gutsy Democrat to take him on.”

Not everyone thinks a Jeb Bush Senate candidacy would be a sure thing. Former Democratic governor and Sen. Bob Graham said the state is shifting away from being a Republican stronghold.

“He would be a formidable candidate, but there are formidable candidates on our side too,” Graham said. “George Bush won Florida in 2004 with nearly 400,000 votes. Barack Obama won it this year by almost 240,000. That’s a shift of more than 600,000 votes. This state has become much more competitive.”

Some Democrats expressed doubts over Bush’s interest in the race.

“I don’t know that he’ll actually do it. I just think he wants to be considered,” former Senate Minority Leader Steve Geller said. “He is used to being a strong executive and is not suited to a collegial body like the Senate. He wants to be president, governor or God.” 

Many Florida political insiders were surprised at Bush’s statement for the same reason. Bush’s reputation was as a hard-core conservative with little use for bipartisanship — and little need, since Republicans dominated the legislature during his years as governor. Bush also had a well-known disdain for questions about his interest in national office and a habit of throwing handkerchiefs at reporters who asked, like a football referee.  

“I was shocked,” said former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Tom Slade, who has known Bush for almost 20 years. “Based on his past responses, it seemed like his attitude was, ‘If I can’t run it, I don’t want to be a part of it.’ Picturing Jeb in a legislative role is difficult. It’s an entirely different environment for him.”  

Bush is mostly mulling over personal and economic factors, said several sources close to him. The former governor’s wife, Columba, had a well-known disdain for the public spotlight in Tallahassee, and Bush also needed time in private life to recover his personal finances. He made considerable sums in banking and real estate before becoming governor, but his assets were placed in a blind trust once he took office and his net worth plummeted. 

Other sources close to Bush said the former governor has simply had time to reconsider his interest since leaving public life, and is receiving a flood of e-mails urging him to jump into the ring. The Democratic tidal wave that swept the country in the November elections also has Bush concerned about how the Democrats will use their new strength in Washington. 

“He wants to affect change, beyond standing at a podium and yelling,” one source said. “He wants to talk about ideas, and he doesn’t like the idea of one-party rule.” 

Thrasher said Bush believes the Republican Party nationally has “drifted,” and that considerable work needs to be done in areas he championed as governor, such as education reform. 

“I think he thinks that the Senate may be the place to be to do those things,” Thrasher said. “For someone to stick a flag in the ground and say ‘This is what we stand for.’”