Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush looks to be inching closer to a 2016 presidential campaign, and he could announce his candidacy in a month.
Bush had recently emailed some major Republican donors that essentially implied he was mulling running and to not commit major funds to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. His top strategist has also been telling possible campaign staffers not to take jobs elsewhere, as an announcement is likely to be coming soon, according to the Washington Post.
It’s been eight years since Bush has held office, two years longer than when his brother, George W., left the presidency after two terms in office. He’s been pursuing business interests, including overseas investments, and he is busy trying to untangle himself from those before any campaign begins.
If he launches an exploratory committee or declares his intentions to run for president, it would ramp up pressure on other candidates to do likewise, including presumed Democratic frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is also signalling that she could launch a campaign shortly.
There are significant risks to waiting a few more months to declare a campaign for Bush, as competition is already fierce among Republicans to get big dollars from donors and grab the best staffers. Numerous senior Republicans have indicated that Bush’s running is almost assured at this point, and his family is on board with him, according to the Post.
Bush has said in the past he would declare either by the end of the year or early in 2015. Lately, he has been meeting with Republican strategies to discuss how to address issues like immigration reform and education standards.
Bush has been working to disentangle himself from several investment groups, such as Lehman Brothers, Barclays, and private-equity firms. He is also conducting studies on himself to find vulnerabilities.
