Mitt Romney’s former finance chair praises Jeb Bush on immigration

The national finance chairman for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign on Tuesday praised former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s stance on immigration, saying the party should consider following his lead if it hopes to win back the White House in 2016.

Spencer Zwick, one of the more sought-after GOP free agents, said the donor community is going to get behind candidates that, like Mr. Bush, actively embrace immigration reform.

“If someone wants to be serious about running for president, they need to be in a similar place,” Mr. Zwick said, alluding to Mr. Bush.

The remarks came during a conference call with GOP donors organized by Partnership for a New American Economy, which was moderated by Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.

It also followed a federal judge’s ruling Monday that put the breaks on Mr. Obama’s deportation amnesty.

The issue of immigration has divided the GOP, with some saying the party must not reward illegal behavior, while others say the party’s future electoral hopes hinge on its ability to connect with the growing Hispanic population — and that means providing some sort of legal status for illegal immigrants.

Mr. Romney struggled to woo Hispanic voters in 2012 after arguing that “self-deportation” was a solution to illegal immigration, making him the Republican presidential field’s most ardent opponent of amnesty.

Mr. Obama went on to win Hispanics by a 44 percent margin.

Still, Mr. Zwick pushed Mr. Romney to run a third time for president, and the former Massachusetts governor spent weeks flirting with the idea before announcing late last month that he was taking a pass.

On Tuesday Mr. Zwick said Mr. Bush is right on immigration, pointing to the ex-governor’s response to the decision halting Mr. Obama’s executive amnesty.

“Last year the president overstepped his executive authority and, in turn, hurt the effort toward a commonsense immigration solution,” Mr. Bush said via Facebook. “That’s not leadership. The millions of families affected across the country deserve better.”

“Now, more than ever, we need President Obama to work with Congress to secure the border and fix our broken immigration system,” he said.

Others on the conference call Tuesday said that any Republican who wants to be taken seriously by major GOP donors in the nomination race must clearly spell out where they are on this issue.

“If you are going to win this election, you are going to have to change your position on immigration reform if you are opposed to it,” said Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants and an adviser on Mr. Romney’s 2012 campaign.

Mr. Puzder said the immigration issue is “deeply personal” for Hispanic voters, and said that Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, another likely 2016 contender, also has been a leader on the issue.

Mike Fernandez, founder of MBF Healthcare Partners, and a major Florida donor, said that the GOP must be more welcoming to immigrants.

“These individuals are risk-takers,” he said. “They did not come here for anything else other than improving their lives.”