Jeb Bush just got an early Christmas present as he considers a 2016 presidential bid built on his Florida powerbase.
According to the U.S. Census, the Sunshine State just surpassed New York to become the nation’s third largest state, a vote of confidence for the state he once governed and possibly a larger political base to tap in a presidential campaign.
The Census Bureau said that Florida added an average of 803 new residents a day between July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014, reaching 19.9 million. The population of New York increased by 51,000 to 19.7 million.
Overall, said the federal government’s people counting office, the United States now has 318.9 million residents.
Other details released by the Census:
— California remained No. 1 at 38.8 million residents, followed by Texas, at 27.0 million.
— No. 8 Georgia saw its population surpass 10 million for the first time.
— North Dakota was the nation’s fastest-growing state over the last year. Its population increased 2.2 percent, followed by the 1.7 percent growth in Nevada and Texas.
— Six states lost population between July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014: Illinois (9,972 or -0.08 percent), West Virginia (3,269 or -0.18 percent), Connecticut (2,664 or -0.07 percent), New Mexico (1,323 or -0.06 percent, Alaska (527 or -0.07 percent) and Vermont (293 or -0.05 percent).
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
