Former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla. announced Tuesday he will “actively explore” running for president in 2016. Based on early polls, Bush is one of the leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, even as he continues to break with conservatives on issues ranging from immigration to Common Core.
Bush, whose father George H.W. Bush and brother George W. Bush served as president, said his family had talked to him about the possibility of a presidential campaign. Earlier this month, Neil Bush said his mother — former first lady Barbara Bush — was now on board with the former Florida governor running for president. She had opposed the idea as late as April.
“Like many of you, our family was blessed with the opportunity to gather together over the recent Thanksgiving holiday,” Jeb Bush posted on Facebook on Tuesday morning. “Columba and I are so proud of the wonderful adults our children have become, and we loved spending time with our three precious grandchildren. We shared good food and watched a whole lot of football.
“We also talked about the future of our nation,” Bush added. “As a result of these conversations and thoughtful consideration of the kind of strong leadership I think America needs, I have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for president of the United States.”
Bush plans to create an organization after the holidays that will help position him for a possible bid.
“In January, I also plan to establish a leadership PAC that will help me facilitate conversations with citizens across America to discuss the most critical challenges facing our exceptional nation,” Bush noted. “The PAC’s purpose will be to support leaders, ideas and policies that will expand opportunity and prosperity for all Americans. In the coming months, I hope to visit with many of you and have a conversation about restoring the promise of America.”
Democrats quickly opened fire on the former Florida governor.
“Isn’t this what he’s been doing all along?” demanded Mo Elleithee, the communications director for the Democratic National Committee (DNC). “I don’t know what the difference is between ‘thinking about’ running and ‘actively exploring’ running, but I suspect it has a lot to do with keeping his name in the news. However you see it, there’s no parsing this simple fact: Jeb Bush has fully embraced the failed economic agenda that benefits only a select few at the expense of the middle class. That’s not going to change no matter how many different ways he says he may run.”
After coming up short against Gov. Lawton Chiles, D-Fla., in 1994, Bush handily won the governorship in 1998 and a second term in 2002.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
