Jeb Bush: ‘I am ready to lead’

Former Gov. Jeb Bush highlights his tenure as Florida’s chief executive in a new ad teasing his expected entry into the Republican presidential field on Monday.

{mosads}“I’m proud of what we accomplished in Florida, proud we were able to make a difference to change lives,” Bush says in the new video, released Sunday night, that ticks off a slew of policymaking successes from his time in office.

“We led; we reformed; we got results.”

Bush touts victories on issues, including the economy, abortion, domestic violence and education.

He makes a strong contrast between his successes in the Sunshine State and the gridlock that has paralyzed Washington, in an effort to position himself as an outsider, despite his family name.

“Washington. The D.C. crowd talks about what’s wrong with America; I see what’s right. They talk about problems, I see solutions,” he says.

“I see hardworking men and women who are ready to rise, children who are ready to learn, entrepreneurs who are ready to innovate, immigrants who are ready to contribute, America’s bravest who are ready to defend. I see a great country on the verge of its greatest century, and I am ready to lead.”

By mentioning immigration, Bush is embracing an issue that many believe will be a stumbling block for him while trying to woo the Republican Party’s conservative base. He previously supported a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living in America illegally but has since walked back that stance.

He also slips in a possible veiled criticism of GOP presidential rival and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry into the video, by arguing that Florida “led the nation in job growth.” Bush and Perry overlapped as governors from 2000-2007, and each take credit for creating the most jobs while in office.

Bush is expected to announce his campaign for president on Monday afternoon in Miami. He started an exploratory committee back in December, the first candidate to do so, a move that many said would accelerate the timeframe for other candidates.

But despite taking an early first step, he took his time before officially becoming a candidate, allowing him to help his super-PAC rake in a bevy of donations before he has to start fundraising under contribution limits. The first to make a move, he’ll be the 11th candidate in the crowded GOP field. Bush enters as one of the party’s front-runners, tied in first place nationally, according to a RealClearPolitics analysis of polling.