Former President George W. Bush told Parade Magazine in an interview published Friday that he hopes his brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, will run for president in 2016.
When asked if the country is ready for another Bush, he said, "That’s for Jeb to figure out, you know what I mean? I would hope that people would judge [him], if Jeb were to run, on his merits and his track record.…So I hope he will run."
The former Florida governor has not made a decision about the race in 2016, but he said in March that there is no "baggage" from his brother's two terms as president and low popularity.
Jeb Bush's own favorable rating is only 30 percent among general election voters, according to a recent Public Policy Polling survey.
He sounded optimistic about the Republican Party, however, saying that he did not believe it was "doomed forever." In 2016, he said, "the party ought to nominate somebody who can stand by principles and explain why conservative principles are better for the vast majority of the citizens."
The former president has kept a low public profile since leaving office in 2009. He recently told the Dallas Morning News that people have been surprised to learn that he paints. "Of course, some people are surprised I can even read," he said.
Read the full interview at Parade.
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