Jeb Bush to Officially Launch 2016 Exploratory Committee

In the surest sign yet that Jeb Bush is seriously considering a 2016 presidential run, the former Florida Governor, and brother of President George W. Bush, will launch an exploratory committee which will allow him to begin raising money for a possible campaign.

Report from Fox News:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced Tuesday that he plans to “actively explore” a run for president, taking his most definitive step yet toward mounting a 2016 campaign.

The former GOP governor — and son and brother of past Republican presidents — also said he plans to launch a new political operation allowing him to raise money for like-minded politicians.

In a message posted on social media on Tuesday, Bush said he’s discussed his plans with his family.

“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 said.

He added, “In the coming months, I hope to visit with many of you and have a conversation about restoring the promise of America.”

A spokeswoman labeled this move as a test to see whether Jeb can find support to launch a campaign. I would actually take this as a shot toward the possibility of Mitt Romney running again in 2016. There has been a lot of talk lately in that regard and perhaps this is Jeb’s way of signaling he intends to run and intends to sure up his financial backers lest they be looking at Romney.

With this announcement, Jeb Bush will join Democrat Jim Webb as the only two major candidates who have launched exploratory committees so far in the 2016 cycle.

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Nate Ashworth

The Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Election Central. He's been blogging elections and politics for over a decade. He started covering the 2008 Presidential Election which turned into a full-time political blog in 2012 and 2016 that continues today.

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