Failed Republican candidate for governor Bobby Jindal is moving to Jefferson Parish and pledging that his family will stay in Louisiana, reinforcing speculation that Jindal will mount a run for Congress next fall.
Jindal said last week that he will make a decision by the end of the month whether to seek the open First District congressional seat currently held by U.S. Rep. David Vitter. Vitter is running for the Senate seat being vacated by veteran U.S. Sen. John Breaux.
“We haven’t made any decisions about what comes next,” Jindal told a small crowd of former campaign volunteers. It was his first stop of a three-day tour around Louisiana to thank his supporters from the governor’s race.
The 32-year-old Jindal, the son of Indian immigrants, lost to Kathleen Blanco in the November runoff after shocking many political veterans at his strong showing in the primary election and robust fund-raising.
Jindal said he and his wife bought a house in Kenner, which lies in the First Congressional District, though he shied away from linking the purchase of the new home to an indication he would run for Congress, saying the Kenner home was closer to his wife’s family than living in Baton Rouge.
“I’m going to be very, very happy to have free baby-sitting,” he joked.
Jindal said he’s had job offers from private businesses, but would only consider offers in Louisiana.
“I’m looking forward to raising my kids here,” he said.
On paper, a congressional bid would seem a nice fit for Jindal, who easily carried the suburban New Orleans region that is included in the First District.
However, if Jindal chooses to run for Congress, he faces at least one known opponent — state Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Metairie), who already has announced he is running. State Sen. Tom Schedler (R-Mandeville) also is said to be eyeing the seat, as is imprisoned former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, who gets out of prison later this year and is not barred by his plea agreement from running for a federal office.
Although Jindal closed his gubernatorial bid with nearly $600,000 in the bank, he legally can’t transfer those campaign funds to a federal race. While his attempt to become Louisiana’s next governor is over, Jindal still sounds like a candidate.
“I am still passionate about the issues we talked about in the election,” he said, rattling off his stances on education, health care and economic development and referring to his enthusiasm about the future of Louisiana.
— Melinda Deslatte