Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday moved closer to announcing a run for the White House in 2016, explaining in a Facebook post that he has decided to “actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States.”
Bush has acknowledged for some time that he has been thinking about running. His announcement on Tuesday suggests that despite the speculation from some who doubt he will actually run, Bush is very serious about getting in the race.
The Republican also announced that he plans to form a political action committee in the meantime that will allow Bush to travel the country ahead of a likely run.
Should he run, Bush would likely be a favorite of the Republican donor class. But he would also likely have problems with the conservative base, many of whom disagree with his positions on immigration and the Common Core educational standards.
Here is the full note Bush published on Facebook:
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
Like many of you, our family was blessed with the 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 a Leadership PAC that will help me facilitate conversations with citizens across America 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