--- ---  # Jeb Bush Announces He's Exploring Presidential Run ## Video: Hillary Clinton Teases Timetable for 2016 [Watch (HLS stream): Hillary Clinton Teases Timetable for 2016](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IdlfNy4l.m3u8) (2:01)  _Published 2014-06-09. Hillary Clinton Teases Timetable for 2016_ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Updated: Jan 17, 2024 5:13 PM UTCPublished: Dec 16, 2014 3:17 PM UTC  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014.Susan Walsh—AP by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Updated: Jan 17, 2024 5:13 PM UTCPublished: Dec 16, 2014 3:17 PM UTC Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced Tuesday morning he will “actively explore” a run for the White House in 2016, becoming the first Republican out of the starting gate nearly two years before Election Day. In brief messages posted on Facebook and Twitter, Bush, the son and brother of two former Oval Office occupants, said he had discussed the possibility of his candidacy over Thanksgiving weekend and decided to proceed with preparing to launch a campaign. “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. ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. Brian Snyder—Reuters Bush is an early favorite of the Republican party’s establishment and donor class, who have largely remained on the sidelines in anticipation of Bush’s announcement, but he will face ardent opposition from the conservative base of the party, who find his moderate positions on Common Core and immigration reforms to be objectionable. At a panel in Washington earlier this month, Bush said the party’s nominee must “lose the primary to win the general without violating your principles,” an indication that he would not change his positions in order to win the nomination. In recent days, Bush aides have signalled that he was more likely to announce a White House bid, feeling he is the most qualified to take on likely Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. His announcement instantly puts pressure on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who share many of the same backers as Bush, to shore up their own donor support if they intend to run. In January, Bush will form a leadership PAC to allow him to travel the country and to donate money to state and local officials who could support him should he make his announcement official. But he is stopping short of official forming a “presidential exploratory committee,” which would mean he and his aides could not coordinate with outside groups. > [](https://twitter.com/JebBush/status/544869679609942016) Jeb Bush Announces 2016 Presidential Exploratory Run ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3635737/jeb-bush-announces-presidential-exploratory-run/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3635737/jeb-bush-announces-presidential-exploratory-run/"},"headline":"Jeb Bush Announces He's Exploring Presidential Run","datePublished":"2014-12-16T15:17:16.000Z","dateModified":"2024-01-17T17:13:01.000Z","description":"Former Florida Gov. 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