In February, I worked as a contributing writer for The Sarasota Herald-Tribune and covered former Florida Governor Jeb Bush's presidential campaign in the week leading up to the New Hampshire primary. I attended Bush's campaign events every day, provided coverage on social media, took photos and video and wrote one or two stories each day. In addition, I pitched my own ideas to editors so my coverage was a mix of day-to-day updates as well as more enterprise type stories on the campaign as a whole. Below, you'll find some of the stories I reported on and wrote in my week on the trail.
Bush claims momentum after New Hampshire
This is a coverage of Jeb Bush's primary night rally. In need of a strong finish, Bush polled ahead of Sen. Marco Rubio and took some momentum into South Carolina. For this story, I got interviews with a few key Bush supporters and campaign members. I wrote this story on deadline for online and the next day's paper.
Bush, Kasich make closing cases for same voters
This story focused on the similarities and differences between Jeb Bush and Ohio Governor John Kasich. The two at the time were competing to be the front-runner among more moderate establishment candidates. I attended events for both candidates before writing this. I pitched this story idea to my editor, then reported on it and wrote it for publication a few days before the day of voting.
Bush embraces family ties
I wrote this story on deadline after a town hall event where Jeb Bush was joined by his mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush. Rather than a typical coverage, I wrote a story focused on the bigger picture of Bush becoming more comfortable using his family name to appeal on the campaign trail to appeal to voters.
Bush courts voters in final push
I worked on this story the day before primary day about Jeb Bush's overall campaign strategy in New Hampshire. I had written a few standard coverages at that point, so I pitched this idea of doing a more in-depth overview of how Bush had been attempting to sway voters through his own messaging and through advertisements.
Economic issues at forefront in Bush town hall
This was more of a standard coverage that I wrote while in New Hampshire covering Jeb Bush. He spoke at a manufacturing facility, and focused mainly on economic issues.