John Ellis “Jeb” Bush was born February 11th, 1953, in Midland, Texas. He is the son of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and the brother of current president George W. Bush. He is currently enjoying his second term as the governor of Florida. Bush graduated Phi Beta Kappa from University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies, completing his degree in only two and a half years. He met his wife Columba while studying in Leon, Mexico, and the couple has three grown children.

In 1998, Jeb Bush beat out Lt. Governor Buddy MacKay to become Governor of Florida, a race he lost in 1994. It is said that his success came from his ability to court moderate voters as well as Hispanics, whom he appealed to by being fluent in Spanish as well as being married to a Hispanic. The highlight of his administration thus far is his accomplishments in public education reform, such as his “A+ Plan” which mandated standardized testing in Florida’s public schools, eliminated social promotion, and distributed funds to schools based on test scores. He supports school vouches and charter schools, and even founded the state’s first charter school, the Liberty City Charter School, in Dade County. He also created the Florida Virtual High School, which allows Florida students living in rural areas to take Advanced Placement classes online. He’s also an environmentalist, enacting legislation to protect the Everglades and opposing plans to drill for oil off Florida’s coast. He’s also considered to be pro-business.

Opponents of the governor question the role he played in the 2000 Election, in which Jeb’s brother George W. Bush won the Florida and consequently the electoral vote through a series of recounts and court battles. They are also suspicious of a Nigerian business deal where they claim Nigerian government officials demanded bribes to approve a $74 million water pump sale paid for by the U.S. Some critics also point out that Jeb’s daughter, Noelle Bush, is a recovering cocaine addict.

Still, Bush is very popular in Florida – he’s a Republican who was elected governor twice in a state with more Democrats than Republicans, and a high concentration of swing voters. 80% of Florida’s Cuban population voted for him in 2002, as well as 56% of all other Hispanics. Jewish Floridians recognized the governor’s support for Israel, and 44% of them supported Jeb for re-election. Lately, he has reached out to Florida’s Haitian population, helping to rebuild the country.