Former Florida GOP Gov. Jeb Bush doesn’t want to be vice president because he is happy with what he’s doing now, and more importantly, his wife and daughter would oppose the move, his associates tell
Politico.
Speculation ran rampant about the possibility of Bush serving as presumptive nominee Mitt Romney’s running mate after
Bush told Newsmax in a rare interview last week that he would “consider” running with Romney.
But sources close to Bush told Politico that his remark was misconstrued. To quiet the talk that he might accept the position, Bush sent an e-mail to Bloomberg’s Mark Silva, a former Florida reporter, saying, “I am not going to be the veep nominee. Lay that to rest.”
About a dozen Bush associates told Politico that’s not the standard non-denial denial. Bush simply isn’t interested in the job.
He is content spending his working hours on consulting and paid speeches. And Bush quenches his thirst for policy work with his education foundation and the literacy foundation he and his sister took over from their mother last year. Most importantly, his wife Columba and daughter Noelle don’t enjoy publicity.
“He’s now a non-partisan voice of reform and is finally able to enjoy private family life with Columba and his new granddaughter,” a Bush family insider told Politico, referring to Jeb Jr.’s baby. “Why give that up for today’s Washington?”
“He’s not saying no to Mitt Romney, he’s saying no to a life he can’t embark upon right now,” Alex Castellanos, a veteran GOP strategist and friend of Bush, told Politico.
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