Jeb Bush said assembling Jewish leadership team

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is reportedly gathering a group of Jewish leaders to support his campaign.

According to the website Jewish Insider, the so-called “National Jewish Leadership Team” will comprise Jewish leaders and prominent donors who have endorsed the former Florida governor. The team is being put together by Republican fundraiser Lisa Spies, who performed the same function for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012.

But Jewish Insider notes that Romney’s effort began when he had already clinched the nomination, while Bush, who has trailed in the polls, is starting his much earlier, before the primary season. The website reported that several of Romney’s 2012 backers have already endorsed other candidates this cycle, like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Bush launched his presidential campaign two and a half months ago in Florida.

Right from the start, he emphasized that he will support Israel strongly and tried to contrast his position with that of President Barack Obama, whose disagreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Iran nuclear deal and other issues have brought bilateral relations to what many Israelis say is an all-time low.

“I will rebuild our vital friendships,” Bush promised when he declared his candidacy in June, and “that starts by standing with the brave, democratic State of Israel.”

In April, two months before announcing his presidential campaign, Bush said he listened to his brother, former president George W. Bush, for advice on Israel.

“Gov. Bush has said before that his brother is the greatest ally to Israel in presidential history, he admires his stalwart support for our ally, and that is in line with his commitment to standing with Israel in the face of great threats to their security and our own,” his spokesman, Tim Miller, told The Washington Post at the time.