Jeb Bush Endorses Romney
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - One of the most-asked Florida political questions has been "Who will Jeb Bush endorse for President?" We now know the answer, with Wednesday's announcement that the former Florida governor will support Mitt Romney in his run for President.
Bush, son of one president and brother of another, had put reporters off every time he was asked about a possible endorsement, but following Tuesday's decisive win by Romney in the Illinois primary, Bush jumped on the Romney bandwagon.
"Congratulations to Governor Mitt Romney on his win last night and to all the candidates for a hard fought, thoughtful debate and primary season," Bush said in a statement issued late Wednesday morning.
"Primary elections have been held in thirty-four states, and now is the time for Republicans to unite behind Governor Romney and take our message of fiscal conservatism and job creation to all voters this fall," Bush said.
The two-term governor who has remained mostly on the political sidelines since leaving office, said the economy is one big reason why he endorsed Romney.
"We need a leader who understands the economy, recognizes more government regulation is not the answer, believes in entrepreneurial capitalism and works to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed."
Romney won the Florida primary, his first big-state win of the campaign, but Bush demurred when asked then about an endorsement. Romney's Illinois victory gives him 563 delegates, more than half the number needed to win the nomination. That's more than twice the delegates Rick Santorum holds.
