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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday announced the formation of a political action committee designed to lay the groundwork for a 2016 presidential campaign.

In a video posted in English and Spanish on Facebook, the Republican said that the "Right to Rise PAC" will allow him to "support candidates who believe in conservative principles to allow all Americans to rise up." An aide confirmed that the organization also allows Bush to hire staff, conduct polling, and pay for travel as he courts key donors and Republican officials across the country.

Bush telegraphed the formation of a PAC last month when he announced plans to actively explore a presidential bid. The announcement thrust Bush, the son and brother of former presidents, into the top-tier of likely Republican presidential contenders, although the field is expected to be crowded.

Tuesday's move also represents an effort to play catchup of sorts for Bush, who has been out of office since 2007.

Several potential Republican presidential candidates formed similar PACs months or even years ago. The group includes Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who have used political action committees to help build goodwill among other Republicans and build the infrastructure needed for a national campaign.

Bush's new organization is already adding high-profile operatives to his team. Rob Engstrom, political director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, informed colleagues on Tuesday that he is moving to Florida to volunteer for the Right to Rise PAC.

At the same time, Bush allies on Tuesday formed a so-called super PAC with the same name that allows them to raise and spend unlimited sums of money as he moves toward a formal 2016 campaign. The group's treasurer, Charlie Spies, also served as treasurer for the super PAC dedicated to former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, which raised more than $142 million in the 2012 election.

Bush struck a populist tone in a message posted on his organization's new website, charging that "millions of our fellow citizens across the broad middle class feel as if the American Dream is now out of their reach ... that the playing field is no longer fair or level."

He continued: "Too many of the poor have lost hope that a path to a better life is within their grasp. While the last eight years have been pretty good ones for top earners, they've been a lost decade for the rest of America."

The message comes as Bush continues a private fundraising tour across the country. He is scheduled to meet with donors in Connecticut's wealthy suburbs later this week.

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Republican Jeb Bush Forms 'Right to Rise' PAC

Orrin Hatch has been here before. And he was here before that. And before that.

The Republicans are taking over the U.S. Senate again, and just as in 1981, 1995 and 2003, the lawyer from Utah will have a central role, this time as chairman of the Finance Committee that controls tax, trade and health policy.

Hatch will start the year by trying to expedite free-trade deals and repeal a tax on medical devices, while working on the long-term project of revising the U.S. tax code.

It wont be easy.

As Finance chairman, the 80-year-old Hatch must contend with hardliners in his own party and Democrats wary of giving Republicans a victory -- a combination that leaves little room for compromise. He may have less than a year to make a real impact before 2016 presidential election politics overwhelm Congress.

To succeed, hell draw on skills he used in the Senate while some of his colleagues were still in high school. In the 1980s and 1990s, he worked with Democrats to encourage manufacturers to make lower-cost generic drugs and expand legal protections for people with disabilities.

The senator doesnt have his name associated with lots of things that lose, said Russ Sullivan, former Democratic staff director for the Finance Committee, pointing to the 1997 talks that created the childrens health insurance program.

Sullivan recalled: Hatch gave one of the most memorable speeches, that hasnt been made public, to tell his Republican colleagues, This is going to happen. This bill is going to pass. Things are going to happen. So we should get in there and craft it the way we want to.

When theres a big bipartisan effort that fractures Republicans, Hatch is often involved in creating it or voting for it. He started his political career as a conservative upstart who got his break by winning Ronald Reagans support in a 1976 primary election.

Over time, hes moved from the partys ideological edges to its center.

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Hatchs Well-Worn Gavel to Shape Deals in Republican-Led Senate

Rep. Davis Delivers First Weekly Republican Address of the New Year
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) delivers the first Weekly Republican Address of the new year from Springfield, Illinois highlighting the new American Congress #39; focus on economic growth and...

By: U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis

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Rep. Davis Delivers First Weekly Republican Address of the New Year - Video

Republican Field Day (ROANOKE Dec 2014)
Roanoke 15 December 2014 Show (UCB) - directed by Dru Johnston Republican Field Day written by Alexandra Song CNN Reporter - Lisa Kleinman John Boehner - Marshall Stratton Paul Ryan - Max ...

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Republican Field Day (ROANOKE Dec 2014) - Video

After a Republican wave election that boosted the party's House majority to historic levels and handed them control of the Senate, dozens of new lawmakers are arriving in WashingtonTuesday for the 114th Congress -- including several fresh political faces poised to make waves.

A total of 71 new members, of both parties, arrive in Washington this week. As the new Congress prepares to tackle weighty issues ranging from immigration to the budget to the Keystone pipeline, these freshmen stand to have a big impact on the legislative debate and direction of their respective parties.

"When the American people voted for Republican majorities in November, they really voted for people who are going to go up there and start working again," Thom Tillis, the incoming Republican senator from North Carolina, told Fox News. "Start sending legislation to the president's desk and get the economy back to a sustained recovery versus this limping along that we've been doing for the past several years."

Tillis is one of 13 new senators, all but one of them Republican, being sworn in as the GOP takes a 54-seat majority in the chamber. The lone incoming Democrat is Michigan Rep. Gary Peters.

Among the new House members are incoming Republican Rep. Martha McSally, who after several tries finally wrestled her southern Arizona House seat away from Democrats.

McSally touted her conservative credentials this past weekend, telling Fox News Sunday that her focus will be on creating jobs and securing the U.S.-Mexico border.

However, she also pointed out that her home district is full of non-Republicans whom she also must serve in Congress.

My district is very diverse, said McSally, a retired Air Force colonel and the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat.

I think it does represent America, but 50 percent of the people didn't vote for me," she said, pointing to areas of shared concern. "Democrats [and] business owners can agree that they want to grow their small business. Kids graduating from college want to have job opportunities. So, those are not politically charged issues.

The need to help boost good-paying, full-time jobs has indeed emerged again as a goal for congressional Democrats and Republicans, with leaders from both parties and chambers putting the economy at the top of their agendas.

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NOT WASTING TIME GOP lawmakers plan quick approval of Keystone bill