Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal took another step toward running for president today, announcing the formation of an exploratory committee to consider a GOP campaign and suggesting the nation needs a leader with the “ideas to change our country’s future.”
As he has in the past, the Republican governor said he will announce his ultimate decision on a White House bid after his state’s legislative session ends in mid-June. In a statement, Jindal says that if he runs, his candidacy would be based on the idea the American people “are ready to try a dramatically different direction.”
The 43-year-old Jindal, the country’s first elected Indian-American governor, also slammed President Barack Obama’s leadership, saying the Democratic leader “has started to redefine the American Dream, turning it into the European nightmare.”
“Because of this, I believe our country is in serious trouble and that the hour is late for America,” Jindal says. “Economic collapse is much closer to the door than people realize, our culture is decaying at a rapid rate and our standing in a dangerous world is at an all-time low.”
Jindal says the course can be corrected, but the nation needs to elect a president “who is willing to make hard decisions and who has the ideas to change our country’s future.”
Jindal also tried to strike a difference between himself and “other Republican leaders [who] are talking about change” by describing policy plans he has released on health care, defense, energy and education.
The wide-open GOP race could ultimately feature more than a dozen candidates. The launch of an exploratory committee is a major move toward seeking the GOP nomination. It’s usually the final step before announcing a campaign, reports The Associated Press, which has the full story.
