The former first lady sent out a fundraising request Wednesday on behalf of Jeb Bush urging donors to contribute a minimum of $50 to a ‘Run Jeb Run Fund’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Barbara Bush has evolved on the question of whether her second son should run for president.

The former first lady and presidential mother sent out a fundraising request Wednesday on behalf of Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, who has been positioning himself for a presidential run. The emailed request urged potential donors to contribute a minimum of $50 to a “Run Jeb Run Fund”.



“When the idea of Jeb running for president first came up, I was hesitant,” the email said. “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.”

Barbara Bush is the wife of George HW Bush, the 41st president, and mother of George W Bush, the 43rd president.

What happened to “we’ve had enough Bushes”? That’s what the matriarch told NBC News two years ago, back in April 2013, explaining why she thought Jeb should warm the bench in 2016.

“There are other people out there that are very qualified, and we’ve had enough Bushes,” Barbara Bush said back then. “He’s by far the best qualified man, but no, I really don’t” want to see him run.

Neil Bush, George W and Jeb’s younger brother, said last year that George HW Bush, Barbara’s husband, wanted Jeb to run. And George W Bush previously had encouraged Jeb to run. “He knows I want him to run, if I need to reiterate it I will,” Bush told CNN last December.

“Run, Jeb.”