Bush has so far put fundraising over campaigning

Filling the coffers. In 20 of the past 27 years, a Bush or a Clinton has run the executive branch of the federal government. On Monday, the likelihood increased substantially that a Clinton or Bush could be back. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush officially announced his candidacy for president in a packed arena at Miami-Dade College. Bush is one of the frontrunners at this early stage but certainly not the leader of the pack. The fact that he recently shook up his campaign staff suggests he’s less than thrilled with the way things are going. But he has raised a lot of money. According to Politico, his super PAC, Right to Rise, is expected to hit $100 million by the end of the month. Rather than trying to shape public opinion in the infancy of this election cycle, Bush has bet heavily on the power of a superior war chest to shape hearts and minds later on.

Hillary’s hard sell. After taking flak for several months from rivals on the left as the candidate of Wall Street, Hillary Clinton relaunched her campaign with a populist flavor. At a Saturday event on Roosevelt Island in New York, she emphasized prosperity isn’t just for CEOs and hedge-fund managers. A number of sources said early in the year she was planning to wait to announce her candidacy in the summer, rather than in the spring. But with controversy over her email use and donations to the Clinton Foundation, doubts were beginning to creep in on the part of many Democrats about whether she could be a strong candidate. She announced in April with an online video because she had to, but there’s a good chance the Roosevelt Island event was planned before her April announcement.

New contender. Billionaire real-estate mogul and reality TV personality Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president Tuesday at the eponymous Trump Tower in New York City. Trump has talked about running for president many times. This time, he says, it’s for real. He is the third GOP candidate who has never held elected office, after former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. What Trump lacks in political experience he seems to make up for in self-confidence. The flamboyant billionaire said foreign governments are outsmarting and outmaneuvering America’s leaders. He called them stupid and offered himself as the proven leader and skilled negotiator the country needs to compete on the world stage. Trump made a number of sizable promises in his announcement. He vowed to repeal and replace Obamacare, defeat ISIS, and build what he called a “great wall” on the southern border with Mexico.

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