Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal believes Texas Governor Rick Perry is the best candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, as he expressed to a crowd of Perry supporters in Iowa Tuesday.
The Louisiana governor endorsed Mr. Perry in September, and will be joining him at several campaign stops in Iowa this week, as Mr. Perry embarks on a 42 city tour of the Hawkeye state in the weeks leading up to the Iowa caucuses on January 3rd.
Mr. Jindal cited Mr. Perry’s record for job creation in the state of Texas and also praised him for the assistance he provided to the state of Louisiana during Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. He was also supportive of Mr. Perry’s motto of being a “Washington outsider,” and compared his record as governor to President Barack Obama’s political track record prior to winning the 2008 presidential election.
“What I see in Washington, D.C., worries me. We know that we are spending our chidren’s money,” Mr. Jindal said Tuesday, The Des Moines Register reports.
“The reality is there are going to be a lot of people running for president who can give a great speech, and a lot of people who come out of Washington, D.C., and I’m here to help support Rick Perry because I think we’ve got to elect somebody who’s actually run his state,” the Louisiana governor added.
In two recent polls of Iowa voters released this week, Mr. Perry continued to finish near the bottom of the GOP race. According to the latest Public Policy Polling and Insider Advantage surveys of likely Iowa caucus voters, he is tied with Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who is also currently engaging on a cross state tour of Iowa.
“The reason I can stand here and tell you that we can support Rick Perry to be our next president of the United States. He is a governor that has led. He will not need on the job training,” Governor Jindal stated Tuesday.
The support from the Louisiana governor has been one of the few bright spots for Mr. Perry’s campaign in recent weeks. He has received heightened criticism for his stance against gays serving openly in the military, and for his various campaign blunders and ‘oops’ moments.
Governor Jindal corrected Mr. Perry during the speech in Maquoketa, Iowa Tuesday, when a voter asked about whether standard tax deductions would still exist under his proposed 20 percent flat rate tax plan. The Texas governor mistakenly replied “no,” and Mr. Jindal reminded him that the standard deduction would in fact remain in place under any proposed tax rate.
“Thank you for correcting me on that governor, not that I ever make a mistake,” Mr. Perry said jokingly.
“But it’s always good to have Bobby here to correct me,” Mr. Perry added.
Mr. Jindal plans to join Mr. Perry at several campaign events in Iowa this week, hoping to bolster support among Iowa voters for the Texas governor as the Iowa caucuses draw nearer.
