2016 Election News: Jeb Bush Announces 'I'm Running for President in 2016' [Video]
Jeb Bush unofficially announced that he is running in the 2016 presidential election during a campaign stop in Nevada on Wednesday.
While speaking to reporters in Reno, the former Florida governor mistakenly admitted that he is a presidential hopeful, reports NBC News.
"I'm running for president in 2016," said the former Republican governor, before quickly correcting himself, saying "and the focus is going to be about how we -- if I run -- how do you create high sustained economic growth."
According to The Campaign Legal Center, a campaign finance watchdog group, Bush's mistake was more than just a minor slip-up. All candidates are subjected to strict campaign finance laws, which affect how and how much money they can raise through fundraising. However, the watchdog group notes that Bush has been skirting around the regulations by referring to himself as just a potential candidate -- until now.
"This is not a slip of the tongue but a slip of the mask, revealing what we all know to be true. He decided a long time ago and he's playing a charade by evading campaign finance law by denying he's a candidate," said Paul S. Ryan, senior council with group, reports Reuters.
Larry Noble, senior counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, also stated that his organization has filed a complaint to federal election officials stating that Bush is running and should, therefore, be required to take heed to the rules when it comes to fundraising.
"He's going to say it was a slip of the tongue, but that's absolute nonsense at this point," Noble said.
As more evidence that Bush is running in the hotly contested race for the White House, the GOP leader recently hired Sen. Marco Rubio's longtime friend and 2010 Senate campaign manager, Jose Mallea, as a Hispanic-outreach adviser, according to Politico.
This shows the former governor is serious about winning over Latino voters and that Florida Republicans have a deep loyalty for Bush and his family.
Watch video below.
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