WASHINGTON — Jeb Bush is stepping into the Republican race for president, finally taking his place — after months of hints and relentless fundraising — amid an unwieldy field of GOP candidates unlike any in recent memory.

The son of one president and brother of another, the former Florida governor has the rank of front-runner and the donors to match. He now has eight months before the first votes are cast in the Iowa caucuses to prove he’s worthy of both.

“It’s as wide-open a race as we’ve seen in a long time,” said Republican strategist Kevin Madden, who described Bush as the “technical front-runner.”

Among contenders: former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who returned Thursday to presidential politics four years after his 2012 presidential bid ended in disaster, vowing to “end an era of failed leadership.”

While both men were widely expected to enter the race, which got its unofficial start when Bush said in December he was exploring whether to seek the nomination, the confirmation from aides that Bush will indeed run is nonetheless a defining moment for the GOP.