Bush, Perry join unwieldy race as new phase of GOP campaign begins

WASHINGTON -- Jeb Bush stepped into the Republican race for president Thursday, finally taking his place -- after months of hints and relentless fundraising -- amid an unwieldy field of GOP candidates unlike any in recent memory.

The son of one president and brother of another, the former Florida governor has the rank of front-runner and the donors to match. He now has eight months before the first votes are cast in the Iowa caucuses to prove he's worthy of both.

"It's as wide-open a race as we've seen in a long time," said Republican strategist Kevin Madden, who described Bush as the "technical front-runner" in a field that stands at 11 major declared candidates.

Among them: former Texas governor Rick Perry, who returned Thursday to presidential politics four years after his 2012 presidential bid ended in disaster, vowing during his own campaign kickoff to "end an era of failed leadership."

While both men were expected to enter the race, which got its unofficial start when Bush said in December he was exploring whether to seek the Republican nomination, the confirmation from aides Bush will run is nonetheless a defining moment for the GOP.

The son of George H.W. Bush and younger brother of George W. Bush, he is a favorite of the Republican establishment, the experienced and well-connected party faithful who have showered the 62-year-old with money, staffing talent and encouragement in recent months.

His decision ensures the possibility of a general election showdown between two political dynasties as Hillary Rodham Clinton seeks the Democratic nomination.

Senior aides confirmed Bush, who left the Florida governor's mansion in 2007, will enter the race June 15 during an event at Miami Dade College. They spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to take the edge off his formal announcement.

"I want to be the guy to beat," a confident Bush said while campaigning in Florida earlier this week.

The GOP contest now features candidates of different generations, races and genders, whose policy prescriptions are far from monolithic and whose personalities often clash. There are more to come: four sitting governors -- Wisconsin's Scott Walker and New Jersey's Chris Christie, among them -- are likely to join the race before the GOP's first presidential debate in August.

"Everyone is bunched together in the polls, and no one candidate in particular has emerged as a clear leader in the early state contests," Madden said.

Perry opened his campaign in a fight for relevancy among the many Republicans trying to knock Bush from his front-runner position. Despite his record as Texas' longest-serving governor, Perry may struggle to reach the polling threshold that will decide the 10 candidates who will take part in the party's first debate Aug. 6.