Jeb Bush exploring '16 presidential bid

Ex-Florida governor to start PAC

In this Nov. 20, 2014, file photo, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush gives the keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington. On Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014, Bush took his most definitive step yet toward running for president, announcing plans to "actively explore" a campaign and form a new political operation allowing him to raise money for like-minded Republicans.
In this Nov. 20, 2014, file photo, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush gives the keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington. On Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014, Bush took his most definitive step yet toward running for president, announcing plans to "actively explore" a campaign and form a new political operation allowing him to raise money for like-minded Republicans.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced Tuesday that he will "actively explore" a campaign for president.

In a holiday message posted on his Facebook page, the son and brother of Republican presidents said he had discussed the "future of our nation" and his own prospective bid for the White House with members of his family over the Thanksgiving holiday.

"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 wrote.

His early move could pre-empt some other Republicans with White House aspirations in the bidding for big donations and public support. The field includes more than a dozen potential candidates, none of whom have formally announced plans to run.

Bush's announcement overshadowed comments from former New York Gov. George Pataki, who told the New York Daily News in a story published Tuesday he was "very seriously" considering a bid.

Should Bush ultimately decide to run, he could tap into his family's vast political network. His campaign would compete with other establishment-minded Republicans for donors and could affect the plans of several Republican governors, including New Jersey's Chris Christie and Wisconsin's Scott Walker.

"I don't think it will affect their willingness to run, but it will affect to some extent their ability to raise money," said Fred Malek, the finance chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

Walker said Tuesday that Bush's action "doesn't affect me one way or another." Added Christie, "I've got nothing to say about it."

A Bush candidacy also has the potential to affect Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who came up through that state's politics as a strong Bush supporter and is considering whether to seek re-election to the Senate or run for president in 2016.

"Marco has a lot of respect for Gov. Bush and believes he would be a formidable candidate," said Alex Conant, a spokesman for Rubio. "However, Marco's decision on whether to run for president or re-election will be based on where he can best achieve his agenda to restore the American dream -- not on who else might be running."

But Brian Ballard, a Tallahassee lobbyist who was a top Florida fundraiser for the past two Republican nominees, said he expected most major donors in the state would commit to Bush.

"He freezes everyone out," Ballard said. "Florida will be off-limits to other presidential candidates should Jeb decide to run."

Kristy Campbell, a spokesman for the 61-year-old Bush, said he had not made a final decision. She said he would announce that decision next year "after gauging support" for a run.

"This is a natural next step and represents a new phase of his consideration process," Campbell said.

That phase will include an expansion of Bush's political operations. Bush said Tuesday that he will start his own leadership political action committee in January, which will allow him to raise money that can pay for his travel and the infrastructure of a nascent campaign, including office space and some broad polling.

In a TV interview this past weekend, Bush said he felt he "would be a good president," disclosed that he was writing an e-book about his time as governor that would come out in the spring, and promised to release about 250,000 emails from his time in office.

During his two terms as Florida governor, Bush pushed for large tax cuts, overhauled Florida's education system and led an effort to eliminate race-based policies in college admissions and state spending.

Since leaving office, Bush has continued to advocate for more changes to the nation's schools, including the adoption of new education standards known as Common Core.

Those standards have drawn the ire of some conservatives, who view them as a federal intrusion into local classrooms. Bush has continued to call them critical to overhauling the country's education system while seeking common ground with opponents by saying states should be allowed to develop their own education programs.

Richard Schwarm, a former Iowa state Republican Party chairman, said that while Bush holds some positions that don't sit well with some GOP activists, "I think they'll realize his honesty and integrity on speaking out on his mind shows he has the courage of his convictions."

Information for this article was contributed by Philip Elliott of The Associated Press.

A Section on 12/17/2014

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