And here we go...
After months of speculation and hinting and non answers, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced on Tuesday morning that he's starting an exploratory run for the Presidency of the United States of America.
As all pols do nowadays, Bush took to social media to announce his intentions.
Jeb, the brother of President George W. and son of President George H.W. says he talked about running for the White House over Thanksgiving weekend.
I am excited to announce I will actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States: https://t.co/luY4lCF2cA.
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) December 16, 2014"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," Jeb writes in his announcement.
Jeb added that he's putting together a Leadership PAC to help him set things up to hit the road and talk to voters.
"he PAC's purpose will be to support leaders, ideas and policies that will expand opportunity and prosperity for all Americans," he says. "In the coming months, I hope to visit with many of you and have a conversation about restoring the promise of America."
Just over the weekend, Bush had announced he was releasing thousands of emails from during his two-term tenure as Florida's governor, as well as an eBook he wrote on his governing philosophies.
These revelations led to wild speculation that he'd be running. Meanwhile, many Republicans had been pushing for Jeb to jump into the fray as early as April.
Jeb might find some resistance from the more conservative parts of the GOP, who have not been fans of his pragmatism or his position on issues such as immigration reform and Common Core.
His speech to CPAC in 2013 fell flat when he offered that the Republican Party needs to be more inclusive while saying things like, "If you're fortunate enough to count yourself among the privileged, much of the rest of the nation is drowning."
Still, Jeb has overshadowed the GOP's once-favorite son and fellow Floridian, Marco Rubio.
In a 2012 Public Policy Poling survey of 624 Florida Republicans, Jeb led Rubio 28 percent to 22 percent in whom those Republicans would support as a presidential candidate.
A 2013 Quinnipiac University Poll showed that Hillary Clinton would defeat both Jeb and Rubio.
However, that poll shows that Jeb would be a better candidate against Clinton if the two squared off for the 2016 run.
You can read the full announcement on Jeb's Facebook page.
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