Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who recently announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee, said Thursday he thinks “the more, the better” when it comes to the 2016 GOP field.
Mr. Jindal was asked on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” about the recently announced format for the Fox News presidential debate in August and the notion of limiting the number of debates. The August debate will feature the top 10 GOP candidates according to recent public polling, which could leave Mr. Jindal on the outside looking in.
“A lot of Republican leaders like to complain or moan about how many candidates we have running,” Mr. Jindal said. “I think the more the better.”
He said he thinks Democrats are making a mistake by “crowning” former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential front-runner.
“I know that there are some that want to clear the field or think that this is too messy — democracy is messy,” he said. “I think the voters want to make their own decision.”
He said he thinks that any “sense that donors or party leaders are trying to hand-pick a candidate” would “backfire.”
“I think we need the next president to do something — not just somebody who wants to be somebody,” he said. “As one example, I’m the only potential candidate with a detailed plan [on how to] repeal and replace Obamacare. Every Republican talks about it — we’re the only one that’s actually written down how do you do it.”
Mr. Jindal said if does decide to run, he’ll “certainly” spend a lot of time in Iowa and that he’ll make a decision on whether he plans to participate in the Aug. 8 straw poll after he decides whether he’s running for president. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee announced Thursday that he’s skipping the straw poll. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is not yet an official candidate, has also indicated he plans to skip the event.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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