What Mitt Romney’s decision to not run mean for Jeb Bush

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has announced he will not run for president in 2016, which may be good news for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as he considers running for president.

Romney revealed the news during a phone call with supporters Friday morning, according to radio host Hugh Hewitt.

“After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I’ve decided it is best to give other leaders in the Party the opportunity to become our next nominee,” he told supporters.

He added that it is “essential” for a Republican to win the White House and vowed to “do whatever I can to make that happen.”

SEE ALSO: Jeb Bush takes his next step towards a presidential run in 2016

A Fox News poll released Thursday prior to Romney announcing his decision to not run for president suggested Bush would gain the most from the decision. The poll found that Bush was the second choice of many Romney supporters, and would likely be the front-runner in the field of potential GOP presidential candidates if Romney didn’t run for president.

Bush reacted to Romney’s announcement in a Facebook post, in which he described Romney as “someone who has been a leader in our party for many years.”

“Though I’m sure today’s decision was not easy, I know that Mitt Romney will never stop advocating for renewing America’s promise through upward mobility, encouraging free enterprise and strengthening our national defense,” Bush said. “Mitt is a patriot and I join many in hoping his days of serving our nation and our party are not over. I look forward to working with him to ensure all Americans have a chance to rise up.”

Earlier this year, Romney surprised a small group of former donors at a meeting in New York when he said he was considering a third run for the White House. But as he reached out to former supporters and donors to put together a national campaign, he discovered that several of them had already made plans to support Bush.

SEE ALSO: Why Jeb Bush will be the first ‘Latino’ president

The Associated Press recently interviewed some of those supporters and donors, including Chicago investor Craig Duchossois. His wife contributed $250,000 to a pro-Romney super PAC while he collected tens of thousands more for Romney’s last campaign.

“I’ve got great respect for Gov. Romney, and I busted my buns for him,” Duchossois told The Associated Press. “But I have turned the page.”

What’s more, Romney also lost one of his most trusted political advisers to Bush. David Kochel, who led Romney’s presidential campaign in Iowa in 2008 and 2012, is set to join Bush’s political action committee as a senior strategist. He is also in line to serve as Bush’s national campaign manager.

Now, with Romney out of the race, Bush is looking more like the early GOP front-runner in the race for president. And he has a growing list of fundraisers and supporters to show it.

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