After hinting at the possibility for months, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has finally confirmed that he has his eye on the White House.
In a post published on both Twitter and Facebook this morning, the son and brother of two former presidents, announced that he is “actively exploring” a presidential bid for 2016.
I am excited to announce I will actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States: https://t.co/luY4lCF2cA.
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) December 16, 2014
Related: Jeb Bush to GOP: Relax on Immigration, Obamacare
The news wasn’t too surprising. Bush has been positioning himself for a presidential bid for some time. And in the last few weeks he has reportedly been emailing GOP donors to tell them not to commit funds to other potential Republican presidential candidates, according to The Washington Post. Meanwhile, Mike Murphy, one of Bush’s strategists has reached out to political operatives—asking them not to commit to working with other candidates.
Early polls already show him topping many of the potential 2016 GOP candidates.
The latest McClatchy-Marist poll, for example, put him in second with 14 percent, behind former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate, Mitt Romney who has insisted that he will not run in 2016. Other potential Republican presidential candidates who trailed Bush in the poll include New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Dr. Ben Carson, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Earlier this month, former President George W. Bush told Candy Crowley on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he wants Jeb to run—adding that if he were to go against Hillary Clinton in the general election, he would “absolutely” beat her.
"He knows I want him to run," the former president said. "If I need to reiterate it, I will: Run, Jeb. I think he'd be a great president."
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