Jeb Bush fails to silence doubters

Jeb Bush needed a strong performance at the Republican presidential debate to silence the doubters. He did not get it.

Instead, his lacklustre showing is likely to spur even more questions about his viability as a top-tier candidate, with his campaign manager immediately after the debate insisting that Bush would remain in the race for the long haul.

The former Florida governor came into the debate after having dramatically downsized his campaign staff and huddling with nervous donors to calm their fears, the result of persistent single-digit showings in opinion polls.