Jeb Bush "stands heads and shoulders above" his GOP presidential rivals with a "proven record of delivering conservative reforms," a roster of 14 former Republican governors say in a ringing endorsement on the eve of the South Carolina primary.
The endorsement,
posted Friday by Fox News, was written by former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge and signed by 13 other executives from the United States and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
"We are confident that he would be a transformational president of the United States, paving the way for middle class families to achieve earned success and restoring America's standing in the international community," they write.
"While there are some very talented politicians running for the Republican nomination who are gifted orators, no one running can match the decision making ability of Governor Bush."
The endorsement lauds Bush's gubernatorial record in Florida as "the gold standard that many of us looked to when bringing about conservative change in our states."
"As former governors, we are endorsing Governor Jeb Bush because he stands head and shoulders above the rest of the field in terms of having a proven record of delivering conservative reforms that empowered people to improve their quality of life," they write.
"Now that Governor Bush is a candidate for president he is offering concrete policy solutions that are rooted in the conservative principles he fought and won on in Florida," they argue.
"Jeb has the best plans to grow our economy at full strength to help ensure that the middle class receives the first pay raise in 15 years. He has the boldest ideas to reform the spending culture in Washington, fix the impending crisis with entitlements and balance the budget to bring the spiraling national debt under control."
"Most importantly," they write, "Jeb is a strong leader with a steady hand who is ready to be Commander-in-Chief and keep our homeland safe."
The letter is signed by Bob Riley of Alabama; Jock McKernan of Maine; Lincoln Almond of Rhode Island; Jim Edgar of Illinois; Mike Johanns of Nebraska; Fife Symington of Arizona; Judd Gregg of New Hampshire; Luis Fortuno of Puerto Rico; Sonny Perdue of Georgia; Bill Owens of Colorado; Frank Keating of Oklahoma; Jane Swift of Massachusetts; and Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin.
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