Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said today that he'll "actively explore" a run for President in 2016.
I am excited to announce I will actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States: https://t.co/luY4lCF2cA.
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) December 16, 2014
Bush added a longer explanation of his intent 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
Meanwhile, folks are weighing in.
Find out what random voters on the street in New York and Colorado, Bloomberg Politics' Mark Halperin, Karl Rove, and former First Lady and Jeb's mother Barbara Bush think about Jeb's potential candidacy, AFTER THE JUMP…
Bloomberg's Mark Halperin:
Bush adviser Turdblossom:
Barbara Bush weighed in earlier this year: