Jeb Bush in Fox News 2015 GOP primary debate

On Budget & Economy: They called me "Veto Corleone" because I vetoed so much

BUSH: Absolutely, I do, and I'm gonna run hard, run with heart, and run to win. I'm gonna have to earn this. Maybe the bar's even higher for me. That's fine. I've got a record in Florida. I'm proud of my dad, and I'm certainly proud of my brother. In Florida, they called me Jeb, because I earned it. I cut taxes every year, totaling $19 billion. We balanced every budget. They called me Veto Corleone, because I vetoed 2,500 separate line-items in the budget. I am my own man. I governed as a conservative, and I governed effectively. And we left the state better off because I applied conservative principles in a purple state the right way

On Budget & Economy: We've achieved 4% growth 27 times; I will make it 28

BUSH: We've done it 27 times since World War II. I think we need to lift our spirits and have high, lofty expectations for this great country of ours. The new normal of 2% that the left is saying you can't do anything about is so dangerous for our country. There's 6 million people living in poverty today, more than when Barack Obama got elected. 6.5 million people are working part-time, most of whom want to work full-time. We've created rules and taxes on top of every aspiration of people, and the net result is we're not growing fast, income is not growing. A 4% growth strategy means you fix a convoluted tax code. You get in and you change every aspect of regulations that are job killers. You get rid of ObamaCare.

On Education: Feds should not be involved with creation of content

BUSH: No, I don't. And I don't believe the federal government should be involved in the creation of standards directly or indirectly, the creation of curriculum or content. It is clearly a state responsibility. I'm for higher standards measured in an intellectually honest way, with abundant school choice, ending social promotion. As governor of Florida, we had rising student achievement across the board, because high standards, robust accountability, ending social promotion in 3rd grade, real school choice across the board, challenging the teachers union and beating them is the way to go. And Florida's low income kids had the greatest gains inside the country. Our graduation rate improved by 50%. That's what I'm for.

On Education: Allow opt-out of Common Core if states define standards

RUBIO: The Department of Education, like every federal agency, will never be satisfied. They will not stop with it being a suggestion. They will turn it into a mandate. They will use Common Core or any other requirements that exists nationally to force it down the throats of our people in our states.

BUSH: I think the states ought to create these standards. And if states want to opt out of Common Core, fine. Just make sure your standards are high Because today in America, a third of our kids, after we spend more per student than any country in the world other than a couple rounding errors, to be honest with you, 30% are college- and/or career-ready. If we are going to compete in this world we're in today, there is no possible way we can do it with lowering expectations and dumbing down everything. Children are going to suffer and families' hearts are going to be broken that their kids won't be able to get a job in the 21st Century.

On Education: I created the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd voucher program in America

On Energy & Oil: Embrace the energy revolution and build the XL pipeline

On Immigration: Eliminate sanctuary cities, plus more enforcement

BUSH: I do. I believe that the great majority of people coming here illegally have no other option. They want to provide for their family. But we need to control our border. I did come up with a comprehensive strategy that really mirrored what we said in the book, which is that we need to deal with E-Verify, we need to deal with people that come with a legal visa and overstay. We need to be much more strategic on how we deal with border enforcement, border security. We need to eliminate the sanctuary cities in this country. It is ridiculous and tragic that people are dying because of the fact that local governments are not following the federal law. There's much to do.

On Immigration: Earned legal status, not amnesty

On War & Peace: To honor those who died in Iraq, take out ISIS & stop Iran

BUSH: I wouldn't have gone in; however, for the people that did lose their lives, and the families that suffer because of it--I know this full well because as governor of the state of Florida, I called every one of them. Every one of them that I could find to tell them that I was praying for them, that I cared about them, this: To honor the people that died, we need to stop the Iran agreement, for sure, because the Iranian mullahs have their blood on their hands, and we need to take out ISIS with every tool at our disposal.

On War & Peace: Iraq invasion was a mistake; but now we can't abandon them

BUSH: Knowing what we know now, with faulty intelligence, and not having security be the first priority when we invaded, it was a mistake. When Obama became president, he abandoned Iraq. When he left Al Qaida was done for. ISIS was created because of the void that we left, and that void now exists as a caliphate the size of Indiana.