Mitch Perry
Perhaps it was inadvertent, but Jeb Bush admitted what everyone has known for months: He’s going to be an official candidate for the 2016 Republican Party nomination.
“I’m running for president in 2016, and the focus is going to be on about we run, how do you create high sustained economic growth,” Bush said in an interview with KRNV News in Reno, Nev. “Where more people have a chance to earn success. I will apply my record, and the ideas that are relevant going forward to all of us.” (Watch the video here).
Bush said as recently as Tuesday on the Sean Hannity show that he would officially announce his candidacy next month. He’s also been hit by the most negative coverage since he began fundraising as a potential candidate in December.
That’s the reaction to his initial response to a question posed by Fox News’ Megyn Kelly about the Iraq war, where he said that knowing now what we knew then, he still would have invaded that country. He has since said he “misinterpreted” the question.
Bush told the station earlier in the interview that he was not running for president. Here’s a transcript available on the KRNV website:
Reporter: Are you officially running?
Bush: No, no I’m not an official candidate. I’ve been traveling the country for the last three months and making up my mind, trying to determine the support I may have should I go forward.
Reporter: Any idea when you might declare?
Bush: I’ll make up my mind soon, for sure.
Reporter: How long will it take to make up your mind?
Bush: Just, you know, listening to people, getting a sense if moving forward makes sense. I’ve been encouraged, I’ll leave it at that.
Reporter: Policywise and optimistically is there anything you would have done differently than your brother?
Bush: I’m running for president in 2016 and the focus is going to be about how we — if I run — how do you create high sustained economic growth where more people have chance at earned success. I will apply my record and the ideas that are relevant to all of this.
