Jeb Bush

In the long list of potential Republican candidates, Jeb Bush stands out. While many are virtually unknown, everyone knows Bush. His father and brother were president, and he was the only Republican to ever serve two terms as Florida governor. Many thought he would run in 2012, and just this past October George W. said that his brother always “wanted to president.” But is Jeb Bush up for the job?

To date, Bush has been the only potential candidate to beat Hillary in polling of their home state, albeit by a mere 1 percent. While he is good for a match-up against the Democrats, conservatives are leery of his centrist values, which include granting legal citizenship to undocumented immigrants and federalizing education. Reversely, many in the middle are skeptical of his commitment to Common Core, as well as his involvement in offshore private equity firms that provide a haven from U.S. taxes and regulations for foreign investors. As political consultant John Brabender said, “Not only would this be problematic on the campaign trail, it also signals someone who isn’t looking seriously at the presidency or he wouldn’t have gone down this path.”

Jeb Bush certainly isn’t a great choice, but he could be the best the G.O.P. has to offer and he is definitely going to run.

News about Jeb Bush is provided below or go to an overview of all the Republican contenders.

Photo by DonkeyHotey. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.