Jeb Bush Just Took A Major Step Towards A White House Bid

AP/M. Spencer GreenFormer Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R).

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) released a statement on Facebook and Twitter on Tuesday morning wherein he took a big step closer to officially launching a White House bid in 2016.

In his statement, Bush announced his intention to "actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States." He also said he will start a political action committee dedicated to "support leaders, ideas and policies that will expand opportunity and prosperity for all Americans" in January of next year.

Read Bush's full statement below. This post will be updated with further details.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

Like many of you, our family was blessed with the opportunity to gather together over the recent Thanksgiving holiday.   

Columba and I are so proud of the wonderful adults our children have become, and we loved spending time with our three precious grandchildren.

We shared good food and watched a whole lotof football.

We also talked about the future of our nation. As a result of these conversations and thoughtful consideration of the kind of strong leadership I think America needs, I have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States.

In January, I also plan to establish a Leadership PAC that will help me facilitate conversations with citizens across America to discuss the most critical challenges facing our exceptional nation. The PAC's purpose will be to support leaders, ideas and policies that will expand opportunity and prosperity for all Americans.

In the coming months, I hope to visit with many of you and have a conversation about restoring the promise of America.   

Best wishes to you and your families for a happy holiday season. I'll be in touch soon.

Onward,

Jeb Bush