Jeb Bush Finally Says He's Running For President

After a long and drawn-out process of "Will he?/When will he?" (because we all knew he would) Jeb Bush announced he's running for president in 2016. Bush made the big news public Monday during an event in Miami. And well, the event was as drawn out as the months before he decided to officially run. Tunes from musicians such as Pitbull and Celia Cruz played as attendees waited for Bush to take the stage, several people gave speeches in both English and Spanish to try to pump up the crowd, and then his campaign video was played (and then more speakers ... and another video). Bush really was trying to play up the suspense. Once he finally got on stage, he was met with cheers of "Jeb! Jeb! Jeb!" And he finally announced that his campaign "begins today" as he is "a candidate for president of the United States."

The announcement comes about a month after Bush made a bit of a slip-up in a conversation with reporters when he said, "I'm running for president," and then quickly switched to "if I run." His delay to announce his candidacy was likely so he could continue to raise money with his super PAC Right to Rise, which he'd be unable to do once he was an official candidate.

In preparation for his announcement, Bush released Sunday a more than three-minute long video entitled "Making a Difference," which focused on helping people who are "the most vulnerable" in the United States. He also released a brand new logo, which was notable for one huge reason: It focuses on his first name with a obvious absence of his family name, as it only reads: "Jeb!" It's similar to the logo he's been using for years, but it seems to be a clear step for Bush to back away from the legacies of his brother and father.

Bush has been pretty much an undeniable candidate since people even began talking about the 2016 election sometime around, say, 2012 or so? Although he's just now announced, polls have estimated that the United States might be gearing up for another Bush vs. Clinton presidential election. Many, including editor Peter Roff of U.S. News & World Report, have criticized the idea that the political dynasties might be the frontrunners in 2016 rather than unknown, fresh, and able candidates who have never had a family member in the Oval Office bringing new ideas to the table.

But alas, that might be what we're looking at this time around. With Bush's entry into the race, the Republican side alone has grown to 11 candidates, with even more still considering — and I mean heavily considering — joining. Both Scott Walker and Bobby Jindal are poised to seek the GOP nomination, which would bring the pool to an even more crowded 13 candidates, while the Democrat race is seemingly stagnant with just four and Clinton feeling more inevitable than ever.

Bush served two terms as the Republican governor of Florida. His 2016 platform will likely seem somewhat similar to other GOP candidates. He's against the legalization of marijuana, is tough on foreign policy, speaks out in opposition to Obamacare, says no way to most abortion procedures, and fights against gay marriage. But he's notably different from other Republicans in that he's more understanding of immigration issues and is supportive of Common Core standards, which have seen opposition from both political parties.

What it comes down to is that Bush will be a strong contender in the Republican primaries. And while many have speculated that we'll see a Bush vs. Clinton race, he doesn't have it nearly as seemingly locked down as Clinton does. Bush will have to show the voters not only what they want in a candidate, but also that he's different than his family members who've come before him. Now that he's finally official, it's time to start looking at what Jeb himself can do.

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