Jim Gilmore has launched his presidential bid for the US presidency.
The former Virginia governor joins the 16 other Republicans vying for the White House.
Although Jim Gilmore intends to officially announce his campaign in August, he filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on July 29.
It is unclear whether Jim Gilmore will join the other Republicans in a series of forums on Fox News next week.
The top 10 candidates, based on national poll results, will appear in the main debate, but Fox News will air an earlier forum featuring the remaining candidates.
Based on recent polling, Jim Gilmore is unlikely to qualify for the main debate.
A former army intelligence officer, Jim Gilmore served as Virginia governor for one term from 1998 to 2002.
Jim Gilmore briefly ran for president in 2007, but his campaign folded after it failed to raise enough money and support in early primary races.
He told the Richmond Times-Dispatch earlier this month that his campaign will focus on foreign policy issues.
Jim Gilmore told the publication: “I don’t think we’re addressing the threat to the country.
“I bring to the table experience that others don’t have.”
Scott Walker has announced he is seeking the Republican nomination for US president.
The 47-year-old Wisconsin governor tweeted: “I’m in.”
Scott Walker is joining a field of 14 others in his party competing for the 2016 election.
In a video released on July 13, Scott Walker said: “I’m running for president to fight and win for the American people.”
He will formally announce his run for US president later at an event in Milwaukee.
Governor Scott Walker defeated a recall election and clashed with labor unions in his home state, and cut taxes by nearly $2 billion.
In addition to siding with business groups by dismantling collective bargaining and automatic deduction of union dues, Scott Walker’s conservative policies have made abortions harder to obtain in Wisconsin, required citizens to show photo identification when voting and legalized carrying concealed weapons.
Former senator Jim Webb has launched his bid for president, joining other Democrats taking on front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Jim Webb, who represented Virginia from 2007 to 2012, said the US needed “positive, visionary leadership”.
The 69-year-old Vietnam veteran said defense, criminal justice reform and an economy that benefits the middle class would be his focus.
Photo AP
Jim Webb is the fifth Democrat to enter the presidential race. There are 14 Republican challengers so far.
In a statement on his campaign website, Jim Webb said he made the decision to run “after many months of thought, deliberation and discussion.”
“I understand the odds, particularly in today’s political climate where fair debate is so often drowned out by huge sums of money,” he added.
Vowing to bring an outsider’s voice to the 2016 race, Jim Webb said the US needed “to shake the hold of these shadow elites on our political process”.
Jim Webb was a vocal critic of the Iraq war, which his son served in, and his opposition formed the basis of his Senate election campaign in 2006.
Prior to becoming a senator, he worked as an author and film-maker and briefly served as US Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan, but resigned in protest at cuts to the military.
Latest polls suggest Jim Webb is a long way behind the levels of support seen for Hillary Clinton and her closest Democratic challenger, Bernie Sanders.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has officially launched his bid to become the next president of the United States.
The Republican said both political parties “have failed our country” and called for more compromise at a rally on Tuesday.
Many Republicans sought out Chris Christie, 52, to run in 2012, but he is now considered a long shot.
He is the 14th Republican to enter the race for the party’s nomination.
Chris Christie said he was running because Americans were “filled with anxiety because of bickering in Washington” and it was time for a strong leader to set the country on a new path.
Photo Reuters
“I mean what I say and I say what I mean, and that’s what America needs right now,” he added.
The outspoken governor said he was now heading out on the campaign trail to New Hampshire where he will hold the first of what is expected to be a series of town hall meetings with voters.
Chris Christie is hoping to use these sessions to turn around his political fortunes and launch a comeback in the polls.
His image was badly by a scandal in New Jersey known as “Bridgegate” that involved politically motivated lane closures on a busy bridge to New York.
A close ally of Chris Christie’s pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges last month but he has denied any wrongdoing.
Donald Trump’s team has hit back at Neil Young after the musician criticized The Apprentice star for using one of his songs at his presidential candidacy announcement on June 16.
The veteran rocker hit headlines when he released a statement distancing himself from Donald Trump after the business mogul played his anthem Rockin’ In the Free World when he made his entrance to a press conference in New York City where he announced plans to run for the White House in 2016.
In a statement, Neil Young’s manager Elliot Roberts said: “Donald Trump was not authorized to use Rockin’ In The Free World in his presidential candidacy announcement. Neil Young, a Canadian citizen, is a supporter of Bernie Sanders for President of the United States Of America.”
Donald Trump’s team has now declared they were authorized to use Neil Young’s song, telling TMZ.com they “paid for and obtained the legal right” to play it.
Real estate mogul and reality star Donald Trump has announced his presidential bid on June 16, 2015 at a rally in front of New York’s Trump Tower.
Donald Trump’s official website has released the following statement:
Donald J. Trump announced his candidacy for President of the United States of America. Mr. Trump was joined by his immediate family and stood before thousands of supporters to declare his candidacy for the 2016 GOP Presidential nomination.
Donald J. Trump said, “Quite simply, it is time to bring real leadership to Washington. The fact is, the American Dream is dead — but if I win, I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before. Together we will Make America Great Again!”
Mr. Trump has frequently used his platform as a notable public figure to advocate for conservative causes and to educate the public on the failures of the Obama administration. Mr. Trump believes in the Free Market, a strong military and our country’s sacred obligation to take care of our veterans and their families.
Photo Getty Images
Mr. Trump has teams based in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. He will be visiting each of these states beginning with Iowa today, followed by New Hampshire on June 17th, and South Carolina on June 19th.The Donald J. Trump for President Campaign will be headquartered in New York City. For more information please visit DonaldJTrump.com.
The billionaire’s site also revealed that Donald Trump is at the top of the latest poll released yesterday [June 8], revealing 12% of approximately 500 Republican Primary voters consider Mr. Trump their top choice. The results show Donald Trump to be among voter favorites, trailing establishment darling Governor Scott Walker by just one point.
Mr. Trump certainly has momentum on his side as he continues to gain support from Republican voters in early primary states like Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire as voters emphasize the increasingly strong desire for a Republican candidate that is a proven business leader and not a traditional politician.
Donald Trump has announced his run for the White House in 2016.
The Republican property billionaire has never formally run for president before, but has often talked about it.
Donald Trump, 69, told supporters at New York’s Trump Towers on Fifth Avenue: “I am officially running for president of the United States and we are going to make our country great again.”
The billionaire said his fortune would allow him to be an effective president.
“Our country is in serious trouble. We don’t have victories anymore,” he said.
“When was the last time anyone saw us beating, let’s say, China in a trade deal?
“They kill us. I beat China all the time.”
Donald Trump expressed support for gun rights and said he would protect US government programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
He also said he would “immediately terminate” President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration, which would save undocumented migrants from deportation.
Donald Trump added: “Sadly, the American Dream is dead.
“If I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and strong than ever before. We will make America great again.”
According to his website, Donald J. Trump “is the very definition of the American success story, continually setting the standards of excellence in business, real estate and entertainment”.
Jeb Bush has launched his bid to become the Republican nominee for president.
In a video released hours ahead of his official launch in Miami, the former Florida governor has pledged to fix America.
Jeb Bush, 62, declared: “I’m ready to lead.”
The brother of ex-President George W. Bush and son of ex-President George H.W. Bush also promised to protect America’s most vulnerable and remove the barriers to social mobility.
However, doubts persist among conservatives in his party.
Early polling suggests that Jeb Bush has yet to dominate a wide field of Republican candidates.
In his latest video, entitled The Greatest Century, Jeb Bush strikes a very optimistic note, saying: “I see a great country on the verge of its greatest century, and I’m ready to lead.”
Although his campaign becomes official on June 15, it’s been no secret for many months and his team is well on the way to raising a $100 million war chest.
During a tour of Europe last week, Jeb Bush warned he would not waver from his core beliefs, even if some are unpopular in his party.
He said: “I’m not going to change who I am.
“I respect people who may not agree with me, but I’m not going to change my views because today someone has a view that’s different.”
In a separate video, called Making A Difference, Jeb Bush champions the rights of women, ethnic minorities and the disabled.
He says: “My core beliefs start with the premise that the most vulnerable in our society should be in the front of the line and not the back.
“What we need is new leadership that takes conservative principles and applies them so that people can rise up.”
Jeb Bush becomes the 11th Republican to declare, with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Florida Senator Marco Rubio among his biggest rivals.
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry has launched his second campaign to earn the Republican nomination for US president.
Rick Perry, 65, made the announcement by launching a new fundraising website.
This is Rick Perry’s second bid for the White House.
His first was derailed by a very public moment of forgetfulness when in November 2011, he stumbled over the name of a government department he wanted to abolish, during a Republican debate.
Rick Perry dropped out of the race two months later, during a period that his wife Anita described this week as a “dark time”.
However, his supporters point to the economic successes of Texas under his leadership as evidence of his talents.
In 2014, Rick Perry was indicted by a grand jury on charges of abusing his power, which he denies.
He will formally launch his campaign at a rally in Dallas on June 4.
Rick Perry becomes the 10th Republican to join the White House race, with several big names still to jump in.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has officially launched his 2016 White House campaign in his hometown of Central, South Carolina.
Lindsey Graham underlined his foreign policy experience telling supporters: “I have more experience with our national security than any other candidate in this race. That includes you, Hillary.”
He also promised “limited and effective government” and strong national defense.
Lindsey Graham is the ninth Republican and fourth US senator to join the race for the presidential nomination.
He joined Congress in 1994, winning re-election twice.
The South Carolina senator chairs several Senate subcommittees related to security and has travelled extensively, giving him a strong foreign policy brief.
An active-duty Air Force lawyer for six years, Lindsey Graham is a 30-year veteran of the Air Force Reserve.
In his remarks on June 1, Lindsey Graham said the US would “never achieve peaceful coexistence with radical Islam”.
“I want as president to defeat the enemies that are trying to kill us. Not just penalize them, or contain them, but defeat them,” he said.
Lindsey Graham has spoken out against President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, calling for US ground troops in the fight against Islamic State (ISIS).
He said he would protect US government benefit programs like Medicare and Social Security, having known what it is like to need them himself.
In a video that preceded his speech, Lindsey Graham is described as the first in his family to go to college and a “battle-tested leader who has fought to protect the American dream”.
Hillary Clinton’s emails from her private server will be released in January 2016, the State Department has told a federal court.
Since launching her presidential bid, Hillary Clinton has been on the defensive about her use of the server to conduct official business while she was secretary of state.
The timing for the release could prove tricky for her campaign.
The State Department says it will publish some of the 55,000 pages of emails online.
It proposed the date in court documents filed on May 18. The documents were in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made by Vice News.
The proposed date falls just a few weeks before the Iowa caucuses and other early state primary elections.
John Hackett, the state department official in charge of handling FOIA requests, said the 55,00 pages of emails were delivered in paper form and would require time to review before their release.
“Given the breadth and importance of the many foreign policy issues on which the secretary of state and the department work, the review of these materials will likely require consultation with a broad range of subject matter experts within the department and other agencies, as well as potentially with foreign governments,” he said.
Hillary Clinton, who voluntarily turned over emails from the server after discarding the ones she deemed personal, has said she wants the department to release the emails as soon as possible.
Lindsey Graham has confirmed that he will run for the White House in 2016.
The South Carolina Republican senator has told CBS This Morning that he would make an official announcement on June 1st in his home town of Central.
When asked why he was considering it, Lindsey Graham said “I’m running” because “the world is falling apart” and he would make the best commander-in-chief.
Lindsey Graham becomes the seventh leading Republican to join a crowded field.
He has been a fierce critic of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East.
Lindsey Graham wants US ground troops to be sent into Iraq and Syria to combat ISIS, to prevent terror attacks in the US.
When asked by CBS whether he thought the Republican field was weak, Lindsey Graham revealed his intention to run himself.
“I’m running because of what you see on television, I’m running because I think the world is falling apart, I’ve been more right than wrong on foreign policy,” he said.
Lindsey Graham added: “It’s not the fault of others, or their lack of this or that that makes me want to run, it’s my ability in my own mind to be a good commander-in-chief and to make Washington work.”
Mike Huckabee has announced his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination on May 5th.
The former Arkansas governor has launched his second attempt at getting the Republican nomination for the presidency.
At a rally in his hometown of Hope, Arkansas, Mike Huckabee used the phrase “hope to higher ground” as a motif.
The bass guitar-playing, foreign policy hawk has had a media career since losing the nomination in 2008.
Mike Huckabee joins a crowded Republican field that includes three senators, a businesswoman and a neurosurgeon.
“Folks, it is a long way from a little brick rent house on Second Street in Hope, Arkansas to the White House,” he said.
“Here in this small town called Hope, I was raised to believe that where a person started didn’t mean that’s where he had to stop. I always believed that a kid could go from Hope to higher ground.”
After announcing his ambitions, the crowd erupted in cheers of “We want Mike!”
Mike Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist minister, acknowledged his pro-gun-ownership position, telling the audience about receiving a BB gun at the age of five.
He said the US Department of Education should be abolished, a position popular with conservatives who oppose recent national education reforms.
On immigration, Mike Huckabee said the US borders should be secured, but was short on details.
He also reaffirmed his steadfast opposition to same-gender marriage.
Early in his speech, Mike Huckabee noted that he was the first male in his family to graduate from high school.
“My dad wasn’t an educated man, but he was a smart man. And he and my mother didn’t have a whole lot, but they had honesty to the bone,” he said.
As his campaign gets under way, Mike Huckabee could face challenges within his own party.
Many conservatives will not like the fact that overall, taxes and spending went up during his time as Arkansas governor.
In 2008, Mike Huckabee won eight primaries in socially conservative states but this time he has vowed to focus more on the economy and national security.
To win the Republican crown, Mike Huckabee will have to overcome Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, as well as former Hewlett-Packard boss Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
Marco Rubio has announced he will run for the Republican nomination for the 2016 presidential election.
The 43-year-old Florida senator said on a conference call he was “uniquely qualified” to bring the party into the future.
Marco Rubio is the third Republican to officially announce a candidacy after Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.
He is expected to make a formal announcement at a political rally in Miami on April 13.
It comes a day after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would stand for the Democratic nomination.
Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American, has been a harsh critic of President Barack Obama’s policies, especially on immigration and the diplomatic thaw with Cuba.
“The Republican Party, for the first time in a long time, has a chance in this election to be the party of the future,” Marco Rubio said on the call, according to the Associated Press.
“Just yesterday, we heard from a leader from yesterday who wants to take us back to yesterday, but I feel that this country has always been about tomorrow,” Marco Rubio added, referring to Hillary Clinton.
Marco Rubio, who was first elected in 2010, holds conservative positions on government and military spending, abortion and negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
He was previously criticized by some Republicans for initially supporting a bipartisan Senate immigration reform bill.
Marco Rubio has since said that border security must be strengthened before any change, criticizing President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration.
He is due to speak to supporters at the Freedom Tower in Miami at 18:00 local time.
Marco Rubio would be the first Hispanic president if he won, as would Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
The field for the Republican nomination is likely to be crowded, with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker also expected to run.
Hillary Clinton, the first major candidate on the Democratic side to declare, is travelling to Iowa and other states, seeking to meet voters before a more formal rally in May.
Hillary Clinton has launched her campaign to become the first woman US president.
The former secretary of state also announced a tour of key states for her campaign.
Hillary Clinton is taking a road trip to meet small groups of voters in Iowa, having announced her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination on April 12.
She had been expected to declare her candidacy for months.
Hillary Clinton ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 but lost to Barack Obama.
A few hours into her journey from New York to Iowa, Hillary Clinton tweeted: “Road trip! Loaded the van & set off for IA. Met a great family when we stopped this afternoon. Many more to come. -H.”
Her team said she would spend the next few weeks building up grassroots support in the early Democratic primary states.
Hillary Clinton’s first rally, to officially kick off her campaign, is not expected until mid-May. But her trip to Iowa is to be a “listening tour” where Hillary Clinton will meet voters at low-key events.
Later this week, Hillary Clinton is expected to meet groups of students, teachers and small business owners.
On April 12, Hillary Clinton launched her campaign website and declared in a video that she was running for president.
“Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times,” she said, “but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top.
Hillary Clinton added that she wanted to be a champion for “everyday Americans”.
The video features a number of Americans talking about their hopes and aspirations.
Hillary Clinton is to announce her 2016 presidential bid on Sunday, April 12, according to Democrats sources.
The forms secretary of state’s announcement will most probably come via social media, including a video message. Early state visits could come as soon as next week with Iowa the most likely first stop.
Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential bid marks the second time she has tried to become the first female to win the White House.
After her defeat at the hands of Barack Obama in 2008, Hillary Clinton firmly said “no” when asked whether she would ever run for president again. However, since then, her position has evolved.
In recent months, Hillary Clinton has been gearing up for her campaign. Behind the scenes, she has hired a robust team, including many of Barack Obama’s former advisers and strategists.
Her team also recently signed a lease for a new office space in Brooklyn, New York, which will serve has her campaign headquarters.
Hillary Clinton will enter the race as the clear front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, and is leading all her possible Republican opponents in early polls.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has announced his 2016 White House bid.
The Republican wrote on his website: “I am running for president to return our country to the principles of liberty and limited government.”
Rand Paul stands out from the Republican pack because of his comparatively libertarian views.
He becomes the second Republican to enter the contest that concludes in November 2016.
A first-term senator hailing from one of the country’s most well-known libertarian families, Rand Paul first held elected office when he rode a wave of Tea Party popularity to the US senate in 2010.
Photo Reuters
Once there, Rand Paul soon drew attention when he spoke for more than 12 hours in protest about President Barack Obama’s drone policy and the nomination of John Brennan to lead the CIA.
He has proven to be a thorn in the side of many of his fellow Republicans, openly challenging them on issues such as government surveillance, drone policies and sanctions on Iran and Cuba.
Rand Paul has also questioned the size of the US military and proposed relaxing drug laws that lock up offenders at a high cost for tax payers.
It is not clear how successful Rand Paul will be amongst mainstream Republican supporters.
His father, former member of the US House of Representatives Ron Paul, ran several unsuccessful presidential campaigns that had strong appeal to libertarians who favor limited government and lower taxes.
Rand Paul is expected, however, to run a very tech-savvy campaign that could create appeal to new Republican demographics, like young voters.
He is due to make his announcement in person in a ballroom in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 7. He joins Senator Ted Cruz as the two most prominent declared candidates.
Rand Paul could face up to 20 other fellow Republicans doing battle for the nomination, including former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, both of whom are expected to enter the race soon.
The triumphant individual is widely expected to battle with Hillary Clinton, the Democratic favorite and former US Secretary of State.
Hillary Clinton has yet to officially announce her candidacy, but is expected to do so in the next two weeks.
Rand Paul attended Baylor University, but did not graduate.
He later attended Duke Medical School.
Rand Paul lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with his wife Kelly and their three sons.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has admitted he accidentally described himself as Hispanic.
The New York Times has revealed that Jeb Bush identified himself as Hispanic in 2009.
The newspaper published a voter registration form where Jeb Bush had marked “Hispanic” rather than “White, not Hispanic”.
Jeb Bush tweeted: “My mistake! Don’t think I’ve fooled anyone!,” after his son, Jeb Bush Jr., called him a “honorary Latino”.
The newspaper posted a fuzzy copy of the form, which it said it had obtained from the Miami-Dade County Elections Department.
The Bush camp said it was unclear how the error was made.
“The governor’s family certainly got a good laugh out of it,” spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said.
“He is not Hispanic.”
The Republican politician has excellent credentials for his alternative ethnicity. He is a fluent Spanish speaker and his wife, Columba Bush, was born in Mexico. He also spent two years in Venezuela during his early twenties.
Born in Texas, Jeb Bush is the brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H.W. Bush. He is believed to be considering seeking the Republican nomination for president in the 2016 elections.
Jeb Bush is widely seen as a centrist Republican who can appeal to different demographics, hopefully including Hispanic voters.
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz has made individual liberty the key theme of his presidential campaign announcement.
Speaking at Liberty University in Virginia, Ted Cruz is one of several Republican hopefuls to emerge from the Tea Party movement.
He described his mission as “reigniting the promise of America” because “for so many Americans the promise of America seems more and more distant”.
Ted Cruz, 44, is the first high-profile Republican to officially enter the 2016 race.
He urged millions of “courageous conservatives” to rise up and he called on Americans to come together to say: “We demand our liberty.”
The speech followed a middle-of-the-night campaign announcement on Twitter.
Making an appeal to cultural conservatives and religious Republicans, he said: “Our rights don’t come from man but from God Almighty.”
Photo AP
Ted Cruz talked the crowd through his childhood and religious faith before moving on to lay out his political agenda.
He detailed his parents’ journey from Cuba in 1957 and discussed his early childhood in Canada – where he was born – after his father abandoned him and his mother.
Ted Cruz’s father, now an evangelical preacher, moved to the United States and developed a deep Christian faith before returning to his family and moving them to the US.
He spoke on the Senate floor for over 21 hours in a marathon speech that contributed to the 2013 government shutdown and was aimed at encouraging his fellow lawmakers to repeal the president’s healthcare reform, nicknamed ObamaCare.
The speech included a reading of Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham to his daughters, who were said to be watching their father on television.
He later joked that the event featured hours of his “favorite sound” – his own voice.
Before entering politics, Ted Cruz worked as a high-profile lawyer representing the State of Texas before the Supreme Court. He also taught law in Texas.
In the George W. Bush administration, Ted Cruz worked for the Federal Trade Commission and as an associate deputy attorney general at the Justice Department.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz has confirmed his bid for the US presidency, becoming the first Republican to declare his campaign for the White House 2016.
The Republican tweeted: “I’m running for President and I hope to earn your support.”
Ted Cruz, 44, is to set out his plans in detail in a speech at Liberty University in Virginia on March 23.
In a video posted on Twitter, Ted Cruz says: “It is going to take a new generation of courageous conservatives to make America great again.”
Commentators say Ted Cruz, a Tea Party favorite, splits Republican opinion.
Several White House hopefuls are expected to announce their bids for the presidency in the coming weeks.
Ted Cruz may go up against the likes of Jeb Bush, an early Republican frontrunner, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who are yet to formally declare their candidacy.
Republican Senators Rand Paul and Marco Rubio have also hinted at their own White House interests.
Meanwhile, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is widely expected to be among those standing for the Democratic Party nomination.
Ted Cruz is a leading conservative who was elected to the US Senate in 2012.
In September 2013, the firebrand politician gave a 21-hour speech against President Barack Obama’s health law – one of the longest speeches in Senate history.
Ted Cruz’s eligibility to run for the White House was thrown into doubt after it emerged he was born in Canada, and he was forced to formally give up his dual citizenship last year.
Mitt Romney has decided he will not run for president again.
The 67-year-old Republican was beaten by President Barack Obama in the US 2012 election.
Mitt Romney said he had decided it was “best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee”.
His statement comes weeks after a surprise announcement saying he was considering another bid.
The decision not to run frees up donors to support other Republican candidates.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Senator Rand Paul are among those who are considering a White House bid.
On the Democratic side, the presumed front-runner is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, although she has not made any announcement about campaigning.
Hillary Clinton previously ran for president in 2008 but lost the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama.
Mitt Romney’s campaign raised more than $1 billion in the 2012 election, when he unsuccessfully challenged President Barack Obama.
He also lost the 2008 Republican nomination to Senator John McCain.
In a statement made during a phone call to donors, Mitt Romney said he was “convinced that we could win the nomination”, but added that “one of our next generation of Republican leaders… may well emerge as being better able to defeat the Democrat nominee”.
Mitt Romney said it was a tough decision for him and his wife, Ann, “but we believe it is for the best of the party and the nation”.
He reportedly discovered after floating a potential run three weeks ago that several of his key fundraisers had decided to support Jeb Bush, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Jeb Bush – the son of a former president and brother of another – announced in December he was “exploring” a run.
After Mitt Romney’s announcement Jeb Bush tweeted: “Mitt is a patriot and I join many in hoping his days of serving our nation and our party are not over.”
According to recent reports, Mitt Romney has been reviving his national network of political supporters and donors for a third run at the White House in 2016.
One Republican source told the Washington Post the defeated 2012 candidate “almost certainly will” launch a 2016 presidential campaign.
Last week Mitt Romney told Republican donors in New York he was interested in running.
If he does, he could be up against Jeb Bush for the party nomination and then Hillary Clinton in a general election.
The Washington media is abuzz with reports that Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, has spent the past few days reaching out to political allies and potential sources of campaign funding.
The Post reports that Mitt Romeny’s wife Ann has come round to the idea, although there are still some reservations among his five sons.
Photo AP
Few families can know as well as the Romneys what is involved.
In 2008, their father and husband won some of the Republican primary contests but was beaten by John McCain.
Four years later, Mitt Romney fell at the final hurdle, losing in the presidential election to Barack Obama, who decisively secured victory and his second term.
Mitt Romney’s campaign was criticized for alienating Hispanics and not connecting sufficiently with ordinary people.
According to Politico, Mitt Romney is determined to learn from past mistakes and is thinking about making helping the poor a central theme of any campaign.
Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and brother of former president, George W. Bush, declared he is actively exploring a potential run.
Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush could be competing both for the same financial backers and for the Republican middle ground.
2016 possible candidates
No-one has formally declared but these are some of the names to watch:
George W. Bush’s younger brother, Jeb Bush, has reportedly scaled back his business commitments as he thinks seriously about a 2016 White House run.
One of the Republican’s aides told the Washington Post the former Florida governor had ended his board memberships and resigned as a paid adviser to an education company.
Jeb Bush last month announced he was “exploring” running for president.
A 2016 bid could bring him up against the former first lady, Hillary Clinton.
Photo AP
Jeb Bush’s father, former President George H.W, Bush, was defeated by Hillary Clinton’s husband, Bill Clinton, in the 1992 election.
Hillary Clinton is the Democratic frontrunner and widely expected to run, although she says she will make a decision in 2015.
Jeb Bush’s spokeswoman Kristy Campbell told the Post his decision to shed a large number of his business commitments, effective from New Year’s Day, meant he could focus on a “potential” run for president.
The Post reported that Jeb Bush has even stepped down from the board of his education foundation.
He recently terminated a consulting deal with Barclays, the British investment bank that reportedly paid him more than $1 million a year.
When he announced he was thinking about a presidential run, Jeb Bush said he would set up a political action committee in January to gauge support among donors and supporters.
Although he became the immediate frontrunner among the Republican candidates, Jeb Bush’s pro-immigration views have enraged some conservatives in his party.
Jeb Bush, a moderate conservative, has a Mexican-born wife, Columba, and three children. He speaks excellent Spanish and spent eight years as Florida governor, until 2007.
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