The newly established Jindal for President Draft Council hopes to raise $60 million nationwide to lay the groundwork for a future presidential run for Gov. Bobby Jindal. “We haven’t said when he should run,” council treasurer and former legislative auditor Dan Kyle told Daily Report. “If he wants to run in 2012, we want to have the mechanism in place. We will keep it in place, and if he wants to run in 2016 when he can no longer run for governor, it’ll be ready.”
Kyle says the group has no connection with Jindal, but says the governor is aware of their activities. He says they figure $60 million isn’t enough to run for president and win, but it’s enough to establish Jindal as a legitimate contender. In an appearance on The Jim Engster Show today, Kyle and Engster discussed several supporters of the effort by name, including Ram Bhatia, Democratic activist Drew Louviere, Tim Barfield, head of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, and prominent Republicans like U.S. Rep. Congressman Steve Scalise, State Sen. Dan Claitor, Lee Domingue and Woody Jenkins. For their part, Jindal’s office had the same response that comes up any time a potential presidential run comes up. “It’s flattering, but the Governor does not support this effort. This is a distraction from the critical issues that we face and the Governor will not be involved in any capacity.,” Jindal spokesman Kyle Plotkin says. Plotkin also says Bhatia, who is Supriya Jindal’s uncle, has withdrawn from the group at the request of the governor’s office.—David Jacobs
This story has been updated since it was first published
