After announcing that he is “actively considering” running for president, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is meeting with Republican donors in Illinois on Friday.
According to a Chicago Sun-Times report, Bush will “meet with major Illinois GOP donors and fundraisers,” and the “main Bush event in Chicago is a breakfast with a small number of folks who have known him or his family.”
Bush also indicated that he will start a political action committee in the new year, and his hitting the ground running may be a sign that he is trying to crowd out other potential establishment rivals like Mitt Romney and Chris Christie. Ray LaHood, President Barack Obama’s former Transportation Secretary who had also been a moderate Illinois Rep., told the outlet that Bush “represents our best opportunity to win back the White House.”
Bush supports comprehensive amnesty legislation and Common Core favored by the donor class. His position on those issues, though, will be hurdles in a potential 2016 campaign. Bush will also reportedly leave Barclays bank at the end of the year and will stop giving paid speeches–more signs that he is more likely than not to enter the 2016 race.