While Governor Bobby Jindal
enjoys high favorability ratings, many Baton
Rouge insiders are wondering what is happening to his
administration. In the past few months, several high profile aides have left,
leading some to speculate that Jindal will not be far behind. Could Jindal pull
a Sarah Palin and leave office early to focus on national politics? He received
plenty of favorable national press coverage during the oil spill, even delaying
his national book tour. With Michael Steele very unpopular as RNC Chair, some
GOP insiders would like Jindal to take the party leadership position before the
start of the 2012 presidential campaign season. At home, Jindal faces a very
difficult budget situation with massive budget cuts looming or tax increases.
Such draconian measures would certainly impact Jindal’s sky-high poll numbers
and could tarnish his national reputation. As Governor, 14 of his cabinet
members and top aides have left the administration. His closest aide, Chief of
Staff Timmy Teepell, is currently working on other Republican campaigns, so he
is on leave of absence from his key position.While this turnover could be normal, it is also possible that these
close advisers are privy to inside information regarding Jindal’s future.
Publicly, the Governor claims he is focused on re-election, but many analysts
would not be surprised if Jindal either forgoes a second term on decides to
leave his post early to entertain national political ambitions.
