Columba Bush was famously uninterested in the spotlight when her husband ran for governor. Bush: Wife 'supportive' of 2016 bid

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says his wife, Columba, who has been repeatedly described as skeptical of him pursuing the presidency in 2016, is “supportive” of the possibility.

Bush made the comment in an interview with The Associated Press as he campaigned for his son, George P. Bush, who is running for land commissioner in Texas.


The Republican answered questions about diverging views about a 2016 bid within the Bush clan.

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“As it relates to my mom, my mom’s been around the track … she just believes that it’s something that she doesn’t want my family to go through, although she’s changed her mind on that. So I’m marking her down to ‘neutral, trending in a different direction’ than she was,” Jeb Bush said.

As for Columba Bush, he said: “My wife is supportive, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t understand the challenges that this brings. This is ultimately my decision with as much consideration as I can to take into account the people that I really love.”

Columba Bush was famously uninterested in the spotlight when her husband ran for governor, losing his first race and then winning the next two. She drew negative headlines when she went on a shopping trip in Europe with her sister and didn’t properly declare the merchandise on U.S. customs forms.

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Many people close to the Bushes have said for months that Columba isn’t enamored with the idea of another campaign.