The Latest: Tea party Republicans criticize Jeb Bush

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will enter the 2016 presidential campaign on Monday with a rally and speech at Miami Dade College, joining 10 other Republicans already in the race for the party’s nomination. Here’s the latest on what’s happening in the GOP race.

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1:35 p.m. (EDT)

Bush is promising to go “everywhere” and speak to “everyone” in his presidential campaign.

The former Florida governor will formally enter the 2016 presidential contest Monday afternoon with a speech in Miami.

According to excerpts of his address released by his campaign, Bush will promise to “give it my all” and stay “true to what I believe” as he campaigns for the White House.

As he often does, Bush is expected to speak in both Spanish and English.

In his remarks, he says, “In any language, my message will be an optimistic one, because I am certain that we can make the decades just ahead in America the greatest time ever to be alive in this world.”

He continues: “I will campaign as I would serve, going everywhere, speaking to everyone, keeping my word, facing the issues without flinching, and staying true to what I believe.”

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12 p.m. (EDT)

Tea Party Republicans are voicing their displeasure with Jeb Bush in the hours leading up to his 2016 campaign kickoff.

Bush would be the third member of his family to sit in the Oval Office, and Tea Party leader Mark Meckler says both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush were “big-government” Republicans.

The president of Citizens for Self-Governance says they contributed to “the increase in size, spending and involvement of government in America.”

He also notes that Jeb Bush’s steadfast support for Common Core education standards and immigration reform “is a nonstarter with many conservatives.”

Brent Bozell is the chairman of the conservative group ForAmerica. He calls Bush “unelectable.”

Bozell says the GOP has in the recent past nominated three Republicans he says are moderates: Mitt Romney, John McCain and Bob Dole. They all lost, and Bozell says nominating another moderate would, quote, “be an exercise in futility.”

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10:30 a.m. (EDT)

Marco Rubio is welcoming fellow Floridian Jeb Bush into the Republican race for president.

Bush formally gets into the 2016 campaign Monday with an afternoon speech in Miami. Rubio has been campaigning since April, when he also launched his campaign from south Florida.

In a statement, Rubio says he’s not exaggerating when he calls Bush his friend. He said,  “He is someone I like, care for and respect.”

The 62-year-old Bush was the 44-year-old Rubio’s mentor as Rubio was coming up through Florida politics. Many thought that Rubio, now a U.S. senator, wouldn’t enter the 2016 contest once Bush signaled his interest.

Rubio is running anyway. He regularly calls for “a new generation of leadership” while on the campaign trail. Rubio took a different approach on Monday, calling Bush “a passionate advocate for what he believes.”

Republished with permission of The Associated Press.