When Gov. Bobby Jindal makes his announcement Wednesday on whether or not he’s officially running for president—with chances being slim to none that he has decided not to run—he’ll join an ever-growing field of more than a dozen announced GOP candidates.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal over the weekend, Jindal said he’s not worried about the expansive field or his low poll numbers among them.
“I think the more the merrier,” Jindal said when asked if he’s happy that Donald Trump has entered the field of candidates. “He’s a great businessman; a great entertainer. He has brought the Miss USA pageant to Louisiana. We appreciate him doing that.”
Jindal said the race to the GOP nomination “is going to be a marathon, not a sprint,” and that candidates will have plenty of time to raise their profiles among voters. So, what separates Jindal from the rest of the candidates?
“Two things that I think I would bring to table: One a proven track record from Louisiana,” said Jindal, who ticked off a number of milestones he’s achieved as governor, from cutting government payrolls to seeing Louisiana ranked among the best states for business, during his interview. “And then secondly, I’m also the only potential candidate, or actual candidate, that’s offering detailed plans on health care, energy and reinvesting in our nation’s defense. Other people talk about they want to replace Obamacare; we’re the only potential candidate with an actual plan on how to do that.”
In October, Jindal unveiled a foreign policy plan through America Next, a conservative nonprofit policy group he founded in 2013. He also released a comprehensive energy plan and an alternative health care plan to the Affordable Care Act last year.
Jindal will formally make an announcement about his expected presidential run in New Orleans on Wednesday. Watch Jindal’s full interview with The Wall Street Journal.
