Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana lauded the abundance of Republican presidential aspirants, saying it would help the party pick the best nominee capable of capturing the White House.
"I think competition is great,"
Jindal told Politico, adding, "What I don't like is the idea of party insiders or the establishment in D.C." picking the nominee. "Let the voters decide."
Jindal said his own decision about declaring as a candidate would not be influenced by who else is running, his standing in the polls, or his capacity to raise money.
"For me, it would have to be, do I have a unique contribution to make based on my experiences, based on how we need to restore the American dream," he told Politico.
Other Republican governors who are weighing a run for the nomination include Chris Christie of New Jersey, Wisconsin's Scott Walker, Rick Perry of Texas, Ohio's John Kasich and Mike Pence of Indiana.
All could be seen conferring Wednesday with supporters, contributors and strategists at the Republican Governors Association's meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, Politico reported.
Jindal said that Republicans in Washington need to avoid "being nothing but the anti-Obama party" because such an approach would squander the majority GOP had achieved in November.
"Let's go and give this president the chance to do the right thing. Let's put on his desk, aggressive, bold reform proposals. Repealing but replacing Obamacare," he said.
He charged that President Barack Obama "may be the first president to ignore the separation of powers," the
Sun Herald reported.
Jindal said that Democrats like Hillary Clinton believed in a top-down style of government and for running the economy "and our lives," whereas Republicans favored the "bottom-up" approach that gives power to the people, according to Politico.