Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush officially announced his candidacy for president of the United States on late Monday afternoon. From Miami-Dade College, Bush said America's prosperity and security are "at a balance" and immediately took a shot at the current administration and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

"Already, the choice is taking shape. The party now in the White House is planning a no-suspense primary, for a no-change election. To hold onto power. To slog on with the same agenda under another name: That's our opponents' call to action this time around. That's all they've got left," said Bush. "And you and I know that America deserves better."

He continued, "They have offered a progressive agenda that includes everything but progress. They are responsible for the slowest economic recovery ever, the biggest debt increases ever, a massive tax increase on the middle class, the relentless buildup of the regulatory state, and the swift, mindless drawdown of a military that was generations in the making."

Noting that the presidency should not be passed "from one liberal to the next," Bush said the country is on a very bad course.

"The question for me is: What am I going to do about it? And I have decided. I am a candidate for president of the United States," said Bush.

"With their phone-it-in foreign policy, the Obama-Clinton-Kerry team is leaving a legacy of crises uncontained, violence unopposed, enemies unnamed, friends undefended, and alliances unraveling," Bush continued.

He also addressed the Obama administration's renewed diplomatic ties with Cuba. Bush said the U.S. needs a president that would go to Havana in solidarity with a free Cuban people.

Following his introduction of his mother, an attendee was heard protesting about immigration reform. Bush said as president, he would work with Congress and not issue executive orders. The comment comes as President Barack Obama's executive action creating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program celebrates its third anniversary.

Bush would speak in Spanish asking for help during his campaign:

"Ayúdenos en tener una campaña que les da la bienvenida. Trabajen con nosotros por los valores que compartimos y para un gran futuro que es nuestro para construir para nosotros y nuestros hijos. Júntense a nuestra causa de oportunidad para todos, a la causa de todos que aman la libertad y a la causa noble de los Estados Unidos de América.

"In any language, my message will be an optimistic one because I am certain that we can make the decades just ahead the greatest time ever to be alive in this world," said Bush, later adding, "I will run to win. It begins here and now, and I'm asking for your vote."

Bush's entry, as expected, was met with mixed response.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., released a statement welcoming Bush to the presidential race. He said, "In politics, people throw around the word 'friend' so much it often has little real meaning. This is not one of those times. When I call Jeb Bush my friend, I mean he is someone I like, care for and respect. He and I have worked closely together for many years, on issues big and small. He is a passionate advocate for what he believes, and I welcome him to the race."

In a statement sent to Latin Post, the Progressive Change Campaigan Committee (PCCC) spokesperson, TJ Helmstetter, said, "There's a rising economic populist tide in America, and voters in both political parties want leaders who will close the wealth gap and take on crony capitalists who rig the game."

Helmstetter continued, "While Democrats are discussing wildly popular solutions like making college debt-free and expanding Social Security benefits, Jeb Bush is marching in the opposite direction -- proposing tax cuts for the rich and big corporations with the false promise that some of it will trickle down to the rest of us. He's fooling no one."

On Monday morning, the progressive People for the American Way (PFAW) launched a 30-second Spanish-language advertisement that will air in four battleground states. As Latin Post reported, the advertisement stated Bush is "out of touch with [the Latino] community," specifically on immigration and minimum wage issues.

"We are speaking directly to the Latino community, in Spanish, to expose Jeb Bush's priorities that are clearly out of line with those of our community," said PFAW's Coordinator of Political Campaigns Carlos A. Sanchez in a statement to Latin Post. "That's why we're highlighting his stance against raising the minimum wage and his belief that undocumented immigrants should not have a path to citizenship."

Bush will visit New Hampshire on Tuesday for a town hall event. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to attend a "backyard meet and greet" and later another town hall in Iowa. On Thursday, his itinerary includes a veterans town hall in South Carolina.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.