US election 2016: Jeb Bush is 'ready to lead' but will he get the Latino vote?

After weeks of hinting he would run for the Republican presidential nomination, former Florida governor Jeb Bush announced his bid in a speech on 15 June at Miami Dade Collage.

"I'm a candidate for president of the United States," Bush declared. "I will take nothing and no one for granted. I will run with heart. I will run to win."

Bush, who comes from a family of presidents, vowed to "take Washington—the static capital of this dynamic country—out of the business of causing problems." According to Reuters, former president George H W Bush, his father, and George W Bush, his brother, did not attend the announcement. His mother, however, was in attendance.

The 62-year-old enters one of the most crowded Republican races in recent years. Although he enjoyed early leads among his fellow Republicans, recent polls reveal Bush is no longer a clear front-runner for the GOP nomination.

According to the most recent CNN/ORC Poll, Bush trailed behind fellow Floridian Senator Marco Rubio 13% to 14%.

A national poll released by Monmouth University on 15 June revealed Bush fell behind retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson (11%) and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (10%) with 9% of voter support among Republican voters. It should be noted that Walker has yet to formally announce his presidential bid.

Latino vote not guaranteed

Bush has repeatedly been touted as one of the leading contenders to recapture the Latino vote for the Republican party. However, a recent post by polling and research firm Latino Decisions argued that there are five policy issues that may result in Bush losing the Latino vote.

One of the top issues noted by Latino Decisions is Bush's opposition to President Barack Obama's executive orders on immigration reform. According to Latino Decisions, Bush has said he would undo the executive actions in relation to immigrants who came as children (Daca) and those who are parents of US citizens (Dapa). Bush also called the immigration actions "ill-advised".

An overwhelming majority of Latino registered voters support the executive actions by the president. A November 2014 poll revealed that 89% of Latino registered voters nationwide supported the executive orders and 80% would oppose efforts to repeal them.

Bush also risks losing Latino voters over Obamacare and Medicare expansion, according to Latino Decisions. A 2013 poll showed that 75% of Latinos believed the Affordable Care Act would be good for Latinos "in the long run".

Rounding out the top five policy issues that will hurt Bush among Latino voters are the minimum wage, addressing climate change and taxing the super wealthy.

Bush certainly has the experience and name recognition to win the Republican nomination, but if he wishes to correct the mistakes made by 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, he may want to reconsider his positions on these issues to ensure the Latino vote.