June 15--REPORTING FROM MIAMI -- Republican Jeb Bush formally kicked off his presidential campaign Monday with a hopeful message about America's future staked on his track record as Florida's governor, while also differentiating himself from some of his GOP rivals.
"In any language, my message will be an optimistic one because I am certain that we can make the decades just ahead in America the greatest time ever to be alive in this world," Bush said. "I will campaign as I would serve, going everywhere, speaking to everyone, keeping my word, facing the issues without flinching, and staying true to what I believe.
"I will take nothing and no one for granted. I will run with heart. I will run to win."
Bush touted his tenure in Florida, during which 1.3 million new jobs were created, the state's credit was upgraded and student achievement improved. Under his governorship, Bush said, the state budget was balanced and taxes were cut each year for eight years.
"And if I am elected president, I'll show Congress how that's done," said Bush, 62.
Priorities if he wins the White House include 4% economic growth, reduced taxes and regulations, energy security and a rebuilt military.
Protesters wearing neon yellow shirts that said "LEGAL STATUS IS NOT ENOUGH!" were escorted out during Bush's 30-minute speech.
"Just so our friends know, the next president of the United States will pass meaningful immigration reform, so that will be solved, not by executive order," Bush said, referring to President Obama's acts to offer relief to some people who are in the country illegally.
He offered direct criticism of Obama and Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton by name, notably on what he called a "phone-it-in foreign policy" that has led to "crises uncontained, violence unopposed, enemies unnamed, friends undefended and alliances unraveling."
Bush offered veiled criticism of some of his GOP rivals, noting that they have the same level of experience that Obama did when he took the oath of office.
"There's no passing off responsibility when you're a governor, no blending into the legislative crowd or filing an amendment and calling that success," Bush said. "As our whole nation has learned since 2008, executive experience is another term for preparation, and there is no substitute for that. We're not going to clean up the mess in Washington by electing the people who either helped create it or have proven incapable of fixing it."
Bush spoke glowingly of his father, former President George H.W. Bush and mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, and mentioned his brother, former President George W. Bush. He confronted one of the obstacles to his candidacy: his last name.
"There are a lot of good people running for president. ... And not a one of us deserves the job by right of resume, party, seniority, family or family narrative," Bush said. It's nobody's turn. It's everybody's test, and it's wide open."
The announcement formalizes what has been well-known for months as Bush criss-crossed the nation greeting voters and raising tens of millions of dollars.
Democrats immediately criticized Bush's record as governor, and sought to tie him to his unpopular brother.
"We already know what to expect from a Bush presidency, because we've seen it before. Jeb Bush supported his brother's disastrous economic and foreign policies that made us weaker at home and abroad," said Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Bush, who had been mentioned as a presidential prospect for years, surprised many when he finally expressed interest in running last December.
Perhaps more surprising, though, has been his performance since.
Far from being the commanding front-runner some anticipated -- as his brother proved to be when he ran in 2000 -- Bush has failed to break free of a large and growing field of GOP rivals, by far the biggest in recent memory.
Bush's emergence did help dissuade Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, from making a third try for the White House. Otherwise Bush and his formidable money-raising machine have proved considerably less than intimidating.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who will likely vie with Bush for the support of establishment and less ideologically conservative Republicans, has signaled his intention to enter the race by the end of summer, saying that he began considering a run because Bush has not proved to be a dominant front-runner.
"I thought Jeb was just going to suck all the air out of the room, and it just hasn't happened," Kasich said in New Hampshire earlier this month.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another competitor for anti-Washington, establishment GOP support, is expected to officially announce his candidacy in coming weeks.
Even Marco Rubio, Florida's junior senator, declined to stand aside for Bush, who helped mentor Rubio early in his political career. The freshman lawmaker has been climbing in polls as Bush has stalled or fallen back.
Time has not done him any favors.
The Republican Party has moved considerably to the right since Bush last ran for office more than a dozen years ago. And his political rustiness has shown, most notably when he bobbled an easily foreseen question about whether he backed the unpopular war his brother launched in Iraq. (Bush finally said, given what is known today, he would not have supported the invasion.)
In a sign of concern, Bush last week replaced his campaign manager, shifting him from day-to-day operations to a position focused on winning the earliest-voting states.
To a large extent, Bush's candidacy represents a gamble. More than most others in the field, Bush has been willing to challenge party orthodoxy in his call for a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, eschewing the enforcement-driven approach favored by many in the GOP, and in his support for federal education standards that are anathema to many conservatives.
The bet is that he can begin to stake positions with appeal to a broader electorate in November 2016 without destroying his chances of first winning his party's nomination.
Bush was accompanied by his wife, Columba, their children and grandchildren, as well as his mother.
The venue for Monday's announcement, Miami Dade College, was chosen in part to telegraph Bush's intention to reach beyond what has been the party's political base. A part of Florida's extensive public university system, the college has one of the largest enrollments of Latino students in the country.
Bush broke into fluent Spanish during his campaign speech in front of a diverse audience of several hundred people inside the heavily air-conditioned campus gymnasium. Aides passed out red and white signs and "thunder sticks" emblazoned with Bush's exuberant campaign logo -- Jeb! -- as well as placards reading in Spanish, "Todos por Jeb," or "All in for Jeb."
Stationed outside were demonstrators with signs profanely indicating they did not want another Bush in the White House. Bush's father was president from 1989 to 1993. His brother was president from 2001 to 2009.
Bush's formal announcement ended what has been, for all intents, a charade intended to avoid falling under the legalities facing a declared candidate for president. Bush campaigned across several states, scooped up tens of millions in donations to his political action committee and even staged a presidential-style trip last week to Germany, Poland and Estonia.
With Monday's formal declaration, he faces new restrictions. For instance, his two closest political advisors, Mike Murphy and Sally Bradshaw, are forbidden from directly discussing strategy, as Bradshaw oversees Bush's Miami-based campaign, which faces federal contribution limits, and Los Angeles-based Murphy runs a so-called super PAC working on behalf of Bush's election and is able to raise unlimited sums of money.
After his announcement, Bush will take a three-day swing through several of the earliest voting states -- Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina -- followed by a trip later this month to Nevada, which rounds out the inaugural balloting.
Barabak reported from Miami. Mehta reported from Los Angeles.
UPDATES
2:52 p.m.: This article was updated to add more comments from Jeb Bush's speech.
1:09 p.m.: This article was updated throughout to add information about Jeb Bush formally announcing his presidential campaign.
11:05 a.m.: This article was updated with excerpts from Jeb Bush's planned speech.
The first version of this article was published at 9:40 a.m.
