Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal is moving closer to a possible long-shot president bid — building an Iowa team, forming a new political organization and sending three staffers to the first-in-the-nation state, the
Des Moines Register reports.
The 43-year-old Christian conservative has formed a new political organization called the American Future Project, adviser Gail Gitcho told the Register, describing its aim as providing "a platform upon which to advocate for conservative free market solutions and secure a strong future for America."
Meanwhile, the three staffers will leave their jobs in the governor's office to work on a possible national campaign, Gitcho told the Register.
Matt Parker, Jindal's legislative affairs director, will serve as national field director for the new organization; Taylor Teepell, Jindal's deputy chief of staff, will be national coalitions director; and Jill Neunaber, the Iowa campaign manager for Mitt Romney's 2012 race, will serve as Jindal's senior adviser to the early states, the Register reports.
The first of Iowa's caucuses is in 10 months but Jindal has said he'll wait until after the
Louisiana legislative session is over in June before announcing his 2016 plans, the
Register reports.
A recent Quinnipiac University survey shows he'll have an uphill battle in a
crowded field of possible GOP contenders: Jindal garnered just 2 percent support, the poll showed.
Jindal will be in Iowa speaking at a Good Friday Prayer Breakfast along with Willie Robertson, a star off the Louisiana-based reality TV show "Duck Dynasty," the Register reports.