--- description: Presidential hopeful Jeb Bush finally has his mother’s blessing to run for the nation’s highest office. title: Jeb Wins the All-Important Barbara Bush Primary image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d8a4992d72e20f1/69877f59428a9e050ccc7265/ap80942778497.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2016 Election](/tag/2016-election/) ## 2016 Election Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Jeb Wins the All-Important Barbara Bush Primary by [Josh Sanburn](/author/josh-sanburn/) ## Josh Sanburn Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 14, 2015 2:29 PM CUT  Barbara Bush, shown here on Aug. 22, 2013\. The former first lady passed away on April 18, 2018. Barbara Bush, shown here on Aug. 22, 2013\. The former first lady passed away on April 18, 2018.Robert F. Bukaty—AP by [Josh Sanburn](/author/josh-sanburn/) ## Josh Sanburn Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 14, 2015 2:29 PM CUT Presidential hopeful Jeb Bush finally has his mother’s blessing to run for the nation’s highest office. Barbara Bush—who [publicly and repeatedly acknowledged her aversion](http://swampland.time.com/2013/04/25/barbara-bush-says-weve-had-enough-bushes-as-president/ "undefined") to a third Bush occupying the White House—said Friday that, well, she’s changed her mind. **MORE:** [Jeb Bush: Not Running From Common Core, But Not Saying it Either](http://time.com/3703727/jeb-bush-common-core-iowa/ "undefined") The comments came at a Florida charity event attended by her son Jeb, who is actively exploring a 2016 presidential run, and included the former first lady being beamed in via Skype. “What do you mean, ‘too many Bushes,’? she said, [according to the Washington _Post_](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/02/13/barbara-bush-i-changed-my-mind-about-bush-dynasty/?tid=hpModule%5Fba0d4c2a-86a2-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394&hpid=z11 "undefined"). “I changed my mind.” The _Post_ reported that Barbara Bush added that the nation’s problems were too dire to worry about the last name of the White House’s occupant. **MORE:** [Jeb Bush Hopes to Win the General Election by Losing the Weight](http://time.com/3703764/jeb-bush-paleo-diet/ "undefined") The former Florida governor, whose father George H.W. Bush and brother George W. Bush both served as president, said earlier in the week that he is [“totally focused”](http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/jeb-bush-testing-presidential-run-my-life-is-totally-focused-on-this/2216995 "undefined") on exploring a presidential run as political action groups linked to Bush appear to be financially [far outpacing](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/jeb-bushs-war-chest-far-outpacing-field-of-gop-contenders/2015/02/13/1fd3c076-b2f1-11e4-886b-c22184f27c35%5Fstory.html "undefined") those linked to other possible candidates. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3710183/barbara-bush-jeb-bush-presidential-election/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3710183/barbara-bush-jeb-bush-presidential-election/"},"headline":"Jeb Wins the All-Important Barbara Bush Primary","datePublished":"2015-02-14T14:29:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:26:01.375Z","description":"A third Bush in the White House is fine, former first lady says","url":"https://time.com/3710183/barbara-bush-jeb-bush-presidential-election/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic","jeb bush","Barbara Bush"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d8a4992d72e20f1/69877f59428a9e050ccc7265/ap80942778497.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Josh Sanburn","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/josh-sanburn/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d8a4992d72e20f1/69877f59428a9e050ccc7265/ap80942778497.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Barbara Bush","caption":"Barbara Bush","creditText":"Robert F. 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