TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - Jeb Bush says he plans to release 250,000 emails from his time as Florida governor, part of an e-book that he is writing as he mulls taking the plunge on a 2016 presidential bid.
There has been intense speculation that Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H. W. Bush, may be gearing up to enter the White House race as a Republican candidate.
In a television interview that aired on Sunday, Bush said releasing the emails showed his commitment to transparency in public service.
"I'll let people make up their mind," he said in the interview with WPLG Local 10 News, an ABC affiliate.
"There's some funny ones. There's some sad ones. There's some serious ones," added Bush, who was governor of Florida from 1999-2007. The emails will be released early next year.
Bush, 61, has said he will make up his mind on running by the end of the year. He has not said which way he is leaning as he travels the country raising his profile, including a visit on Monday to speak at a commencement ceremony at the University of South Carolina, a key primary state.
His famous name would bring connections to a powerful network of Republican donors and he has been publicly urged to run by his father and brother.
(Reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by Frances Kerry and Tom Heneghan)