Jeb Bush to 'actively explore' U.S. presidential bid

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will "actively explore" a run for the presidency in 2016, he announced on Tuesday, making him one of the first major Republicans to formally move toward a possible candidacy.

Bush, the son of former President George H. W. Bush and the brother of former President George W. Bush, served as Florida's governor between 1999 and 2007.

"In the coming months, I hope to visit with many of you and have a conversation about restoring the promise of America," Bush wrote on Facebook, adding that he would formally establish a political committee in January.

Bush has been mentioned frequently as a possible presidential contender since before his brother left office in 2009, but he has never run for the White House.

Bush's announcement immediately places him in national opinion polls near the top of the likely Republican presidential field.

But Bush has faced resistance from conservatives for his positions on immigration reform and education policy. He has backed legal status, but not full citizenship, for undocumented immigrants, and supports a controversial Common Core education plan.

A late October Reuters/Ipsos poll of voters in the influential state of Iowa showed Bush running fourth behind 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, Wisconsin U.S. Representative Paul Ryan and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Bush was tied with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

He has not been as active to date as some of his potential opponents in courting donors or campaign staffers. He said he would release in January an electronic book and a trove of emails from his time in the Florida governor's mansion.

On Monday, he spoke at a graduation ceremony at the University of South Carolina, his first high-profile public appearance in an influential early-voting state this year.

Reuters