Seen as rising star in GOP, Jindal says he'll seek re-election as governor

Republicans who are looking for a leader to dig the party out from the rubble of Tuesday’s election will likely cast their eyes toward Louisiana and its young governor, Bobby Jindal.

Even before all the state results were called, Jindal was tabbed on at least two networks — MSNBC and Fox — as a rising star in the Republican Party.

His profile rose when he was considered a finalist as a vice presidential selection of Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, who eventually chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

But on Wednesday Jindal wouldn’t bite when asked if he would consider running for national office once he completes his public service in Louisiana.

"It’s not something I’ve dreamed about or ever thought about," said Jindal, who spoke in Monroe at the state’s Regional Workforce Summit.

That’s a tough sell after Jindal campaigned for other Republicans in key presidential states like Florida and has a speaking engagement in Iowa next week, where the first presidential caucuses will be held in 2012.

"It’s flattering to be mentioned," Jindal said, sticking to the same script he’s repeated countless times since his first mention as a possible McCain running mate. "But I want to be the best governor I can be. We still have a lot of work to do, and I intend to run for a second term as Louisiana’s governor."

But Jindal did say that Republicans must change to regain the presidency and Congress, on which the Democrats now hold a firm grip.

"Republicans have to do three things," said Jindal, who is prone to list priorities in numerical order during speeches and interviews. "First, the party has to start doing the things which it says it stands for, like demonstrate fiscal discipline.

"No. 2, we have to stop making excuses for corruption in our own party, and third, we have to be the party of solutions, not just blame Democrats for every problem."

It’s a blueprint that some believe Jindal will eventually use to rise to national office, despite his protests otherwise.

"It’s definitely possible," said Kevin Unter, a political science professor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. "The Republican Party is in shock, and it’s searching for new leaders. He’s very popular here, and he’s already well known because he was considered as a vice presidential candidate."

Jindal called President-elect Barack Obama’s victory historic, "and we should support him as our president," he said. "We’ll have disagreements, but we should find common ground when possible."

The governor also endorsed Republican Treasurer John Kennedy in his unsuccessful bid to unseat Democratic Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, but said that he has a good history of working with Landrieu for Louisiana’s best interests.

"The good news about our delegation is that it’s not defined by party and never has been," he said.

Source: thetowntalk.com