Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will deliver the keynote address Friday at a Republican fundraiser in New Hampshire — an appearance that is renewing speculation that he is eyeing a 2016 presidential bid.
Mr. Jindal, who served a term in Congress, is headlining a GOP state Senate Political Action Committee fundraiser in Manchester, where tickets are reportedly running from $1,000 to $5,000.
Steven Duprey, Republican National Committee member from New Hampshire, said that the Granite State — home to the first primary in the nation — is a good place to start laying the groundwork for a presidential run.
“For candidates who might not have as much money as some others, or who aren’t yet nationally known, this is a great time to come to New Hampshire to start to introduce themselves and to listen to what New Hampshire voters are concerned about,” Mr. Duprey said. “Anyone who thinks the Republican rules only favor the better known and better funded candidates should not complain. Instead they should come to New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada. There are lots of low fares to each of those states.”
Mr. Duprey served as the Sen. John McCain’s campaign manager during the Arizona Republican’s bid for the White House in 2008.
After finishing fourth in the Iowa caucus, which kick off the nomination contests, Mr. McCain bounced back to win the New Hampshire primary — a victory that helped propel him to the Republican nomination.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney also won the New Hampshire primary last year on his way to winning the Republican nomination.
President Obama, though, won the state in the 2008 and 2012 general elections.
The University of Virginia’s Center for Politics this week handicapped the field of potential 2016 candidates, and placed Mr. Jindal, an Indian-American, in the second tier of candidates for the GOP nomination.
The Center for Politics said that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were the frontrunners and that Mr. Jindal and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky were nipping at their heels.
Mr. Duprey said that the key to performing well in New Hampshire is not to give speeches, but to hold town halls that give candidates a chance to interact with voters in a more intimate setting.
“John McCain set the standard. Follow his playbook,” he said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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