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Tom Ridge Endorses Jeb Bush for President
Tuesday, February 3, 2015 07:12 PM
By: Jason Devaney
Tom Ridge, the nation's first secretary of Homeland Security, gave his presidential endorsement to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in an interview with Larry King.
Ridge appeared on Ora.tv's PoliticKING and was asked by the longtime newsman if he has any favorites in the 2016 presidential election.
"What little credibility or what little traction I may have politically left after all those years, I'm pleased to send it and let Jeb Bush use it however he sees fit," Ridge said.
When King asked him to clarify whether he was endorsing Bush, Ridge said, "No question about it."
Ridge, now 69, spent more than two decades in politics. He represented Pennsylvania's 21st district in the House from 1983-1995, and then served as the state's governor from 1995-2001.
Former President George W. Bush appointed Ridge as the United States Homeland Security Adviser less than a month after the Sept. 11, 2011 terrorist attacks. In 2003, Ridge was named the country's first ever secretary of Homeland Security.
Ridge resigned from his post in 2005.
During the King interview, Ridge said he is "governor-centric" and feels good about the prospects of a governor or a former governor winning the presidential election next year.
"I'm feeling really good about the number of really quality governors that we have in this upcoming election," Ridge said.
Of Bush, Ridge said he "has a great track record, a governor who's into the problem-solving business."
According to The Hill, Ridge also commented on potential Democrat candidate for president Hillary Clinton.
Saying he always had "productive" meetings with Clinton when she was a New York Senator, Ridge said a Clinton-Bush matchup in 2016 would be "almost a clash of titans."
Bush has yet to announce his candidacy for president, but he has been building a team that will help guide his campaign should he decide to throw his hat into the ring.
