GREENVILLE, South Carolina — Former First Lady Barbara Bush was back on the campaign trail Friday in South Carolina, stumping with her son Jeb in a final push before that state’s voters head to the polls for the Republican primary.
"It’s a joy for me to be with him, with you all, back in South Carolina," Barbara Bush said. "I’m thrilled to be the mother of one of the greatest men I know."
It was the family matriarch’s second campaign trip for her son after making her debut earlier this month in New Hampshire.
Related: Will South Carolina Be Jeb Bush's Last Stand?
The latest NBC/WSJ/Marist poll shows a tightening race in the state as Bush at 13 percent and rival Marco Rubio at 15 percent battle for third place behind Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
"Well, we're on the ballot in every state," Bush said Friday on MSNBC about his path forward. "My intention is to go forward, but I'm not focused on Sunday or Monday or Tuesday, I'm focused on Friday and Saturday right now."
The former first lady wasn’t the only Bush to pile aboard the exclamation mark-emblazoned campaign bus. The candidate’s wife, son and brothers Neil and Marvin also joined for the day of campaigning.
"I swear to God when we were on the bus ... she whispered in my year, you really are my favorite," Bush joked of his mother. "I don’t understand — she gets in front of the cameras and says something totally different."
Bush will spend Saturday visiting precinct locations before spending election night in Columbia with family and supporters before traveling to Nevada for the next contest in the battle for the Republican nomination.
