Former first lady Barbara Bush is helping raise money for her son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, as he moves closer to running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
In a fundraising email to supporters with the subject line “I Changed My Mind!” the former first lady admits she was hesitant at first over another member of her family seeking the White House, but says she’s all in now.
{mosads}“When the idea of Jeb running for President first came up, I was hesitant,” the email says. “You may have heard about that. When you see the pounding candidates, their spouses, and even their children take, what mother wouldn’t be? But our problems are so profound that America needs a leader who can renew the promise of this great nation.”
The fundraising email says Barbara Bush has launched the Run Jeb Run Fund, which seeks donations on a site connected with Bush’s leadership PAC, Right to Rise.
“Jeb is our best chance of taking back the White House in 2016, and I hope that you will join me in pushing him to run,” Barbara Bush says in the email.
In an interview on NBC’s “Today” show in 2013, she said that, while her son was the “best-qualified” to run for president, the nation has “had enough Bushes” in the White House.
Last month, as Bush ramped up for a likely run for president, she announced her change of heart.