On Tuesday, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced that he will be “actively exploring” a run for the presidency.
Bush made the announcement in a Facebook note the morning after he keynoted the University of South Carolina’s commencement ceremony in the first-in-the-South primary state.
Bush said he made his decision after he and his family gathered over the Thanksgiving holiday to discuss the future of the country. Bush also announced that he will establish a Leadership PAC in January that will help him “facilitate conversations with citizens across America to discuss the most critical challenges facing our exceptional nation.”
Should Bush enter the 2016 contest, he will likely face stiff opposition from conservatives because of his support for comprehensive amnesty legislation and Common Core. A recent McClatchy/Marist national poll found Bush in second behind Mitt Romney among potential 2016 candidates, which means he has strong name identification. Bush, Romney, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are in the “establishment” bracket, as their financial and political backers on Wall Street and the GOP establishment overlap.
Over the weekend, Bush said he “would be a good president” and announced he will be working on an e-book in addition to releasing a trove of emails from his time as Florida’s governor.
Here is Bush’s Facebook note:
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
Like many of you, our family was blessed withthe opportunity to gather together over the recent Thanksgiving holiday.
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. 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.
In January, I also plan to establish aLeadership PAC that will help me facilitate conversations with citizens acrossAmerica to discuss the most critical challenges facing our exceptional nation. 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.
Best wishes to you and your families for a happy holiday season. I’ll be in touch soon.
Onward,
Jeb Bush
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