The speculation surrounding a possible Jeb Bush candidacy for president continued to swirl Monday as former President George W. Bush told NBC’s “Today” show that he hopes his brother does make a run in 2016.
“This man has a vision and can articulate it,” Bush said. “He’s good, he’s really good. He also can give a speech, a complete speech, in Spanish.”
The last point could be critical as Republicans will look to capture more of the Hispanic vote that President Barack Obama captured nearly 70 percent of in 2012. Still, the thought of another Bush in the White House, or even a Bush versus Clinton race for president, is not appealing to some.
“There will be a lot of ‘too many Bushs’ and he understands that,” Bush said. “I understand that too, of course they said that about me…I don’t think it has anything to do with me, I think it really has to do about him.”
George W.’s talk on the Today Show came just a few weeks after Jeb’s son, George P. Bush, said he believes its “more than likely Jeb will run” for president in 2016. The former Florida governor quickly walked back the remarks and said no final decision will come before the end of the year.
Justin Sayfie, who was part of Jeb’s administration in Florida, said the decision will be more about just being president.
“The biggest challenge for anybody thinking about it is the personal toll it takes, the family toll it takes,” Sayfie said. “You have to be someone that is truly, seriously committed to it because it is a life commitment for sure, two years running, and then possibly eight years serving.”
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Bush’s biggest selling point might be his Florida roots. The quadrennial swing state could tilt Republican for the first time in eight years if its former governor made a run for the White House in 2016. Bush has said multiple times he will decide by the end of 2014 on a potential run.
One potential hurdle for Jeb would be the more conservative right turn the Republican Party has taken in the last two elections. While Jeb would likely be extremely popular with establishment Republicans, he might not be conservative enough to appease Tea Party voters and other conservative groups.
