Jeb Bush Receives Standing Ovation At Latino Conference

Jeb Bush may have received a boost in his bid to become Mitt Romney’s running mate for the 2012 election.

Bush, who was part of Romney’s so-called ‘VP getaway’ last weekend, received a standing ovation from Hispanic leaders who gathered at a national conference in Orlando on Thursday.

The crowd’s reaction to the former Florida governor, who endeared himself by speaking in both English and Spanish, was notably more enthusiastic than the lukewarm reception given to Romney.

That is reflective of wider attitudes towards Romney; a new poll released today shows the GOP presidential candidate still struggling to make a mark with Latino voters, who in 2010 constituted 16 per cent of the U.S. population. Bush’s greater popularity with Latino voters could help Romney pull in floating votes.

Bush hit a fairly nonpartisan tone at the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) conference, discussing at length the importance of reforming the education system through higher standards, more accountability and greater school choice:

“This is the great civil right, and you as leaders in your communities need to take a stand and to be strongly supportive of education reform, to move to a child-centered system where children truly have a greater chance of gaining the power of knowledge. I hope that you’re engaged in this movement. Whether you’re on the school board, a teacher, whether you’re a county commissioner, it doesn’t matter. This should be the highest priority for mayors, this should be the highest priority for business leaders.”

Do you see Jeb Bush as a likely running mate for Romney?