The event is billed as a “reception” with Jeb and Columba Bush.
But it has all the makings of an official announcement 
that the former Florida governor, son and brother of two past U.S. presidents, is running for president after all.
No big deal. It’s expected. And Ladra can’t guarantee he is going to launch his campaign at the May 18 Miami event. But I’d bet on it if someone wants to wager.
The hosts are Congress members Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz Balart, as well as former Congressman Licoln Diaz-Balart — all of whom Ladra suspects will give Jeb their endorsement on the spot.
Bush doesn’t always travel with his wife. But the missus smiling by your side is de rigueur for the big day.
The venue is the Jorge Mas Canosa Youth Center in Sweetwater. Sen. Marco Rubio already took the Freedom Tower, which means so much to the Cuban exile community in Miami, for his announcement last month. So a facility named for Miami’s most recognized Cuban exile activist is the next best thing.
Read related story: It’s out: Marco Rubio sets sights for the 2016 Whites House
The tickets for Jeb’s Right to Rise PAC event start at $25, which is low for a 
regular run-of-the-mill fundraiser for a PAC that gets donations in the tens and hundreds of thousands and which is expected to hit its $100 million target by the end of May. Bush must want to fill the room.
All this makes Ladra think that we could be getting his commitment to the POTUS run on that Monday evening.
¿Y ya era hora, no?
Politico predicted a June announcement, after Bush returns from a trip abroad. And they say he’s put off the official announcement because then he’ll have to separate himself from the Right to Rise PAC. Once he’s an announced candidate, federal law prohibits him from coordinating campaign activity with the PAC strategists or asking for big donations from his deep pocketed supporters.
But that would be after school lets out and people are on vacation and have a 
different mindset. And the recent and echoing announcements by Rubio and Sen. Hillary Clinton, who will likely win the Democratic nomination, may have also pushed Bush to announce formally. After all, why should they and Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee get all the soundbites and media attention?
Why on Earth would he wait until after he comes back from his European vacation? That makes no sense. Everything points to an announcement May 18.
It’s not like he’s not prepared. Jeb’s been getting ready since he announced his “exploratory committee” in December and formed Right to Rise in January.
The first primaries are in Iowa and New Hampshire in January, 2016. That’s less than eight months away.
That’s another reason why Ladra thinks the Miami event May 18 is an announcement. Again, this is simply my prediction. There is no confirmation on this.
But if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck…
Jeb Bush could announce presidential run in Miami May 18 added by Ladra on
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