Jeb Bush Hits Wall Street in Search of Financial Backing

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is reportedly lining up support on Wall Street and meeting with potential donors for a possible White House bid.

The New York Daily News reports Bush visited a downtown Manhattan bank earlier this week to secure financial backing, but that it wasn't his first financial foray.

"He's been having these secret visits with guys who can write six and seven-figure checks," one finance industry official told the News.

All the meetings have included 10 to 16 Wall Street executives, some of them major donors to the party, the industry official told the newspaper.

In the meetings, Bush has discussed potential 2016 campaign topics, including the Keystone XL pipeline and immigration reform. But he hasn't tipped his had about whether he'll run or not, looking primary to "assure money is there if he announces," the News reports.

"Governor Bush has not made a decision whether or not to run for president in 2016," Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell told the News. "[He will] make a decision at the end of this year or the beginning of next."

The son of former President George H.W. Bush and the brother of former President George W. Bush is expected to court the Republican establishment and business community, Business Insider reports.

"He will get the backing," SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci told the business and news website last month. "People will be stepping over themselves."

Republican donors have been reaching out to Bush, seeking "for a year, year and a half," to feel him out on his plans, the News reports, quoting an unidentified source.

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