Bobby Jindal Announces He's Running for President
The Louisiana governor makes 13 Republicans seeking the White House in 2016
— -- It's official: Bobby Jindal is running for president.
Onstage at his kickoff rally outside New Orleans Wednesday afternoon, the Louisiana governor bashed Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush while setting himself up as a protector of religious liberty and conservative values.
"You've heard Jeb Bush say we need to be willing to lose the primary in order to win the general election," Jindal said of his rival. "We're gonna help him do that."
A day after Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton spent over an hour discussing race and inequality at a church near Ferguson, Mo., Jindal accused her of divisiveness.
"Hillary Clinton's always trying to divide us by ethnicity, by gender, by economic status," Jindal said. "I'm sick and tired of people dividing Americans."
A social conservative, Jindal portrayed Christian faith and values as coming under attack from liberals--a staple of his speeches at political events this year.
"There are millions of Americans who believe in God and are not ashamed to say so," he told the crowd in Louisiana.
Jindal had first announced his 2016 presidential campaign in a tweet this afternoon:
I’m running for President of the United States of America. Join me: http://t.co/MmqB4kxpUq
— Gov. Bobby Jindal (@BobbyJindal) June 24, 2015
Jindal's campaign message, according to aides, will be that Jindal is the youngest candidate with the longest resume. He will argue that Clinton and President Obama are leading America to socialism.
"The guy in the White House today, he's a great talker," Jindal said Wednesday. "We have a bunch of great talkers running for president. We've had enough of talkers; it's time for a doer."
The 13th Republican officially seeking the White House in 2016, Jindal is the first Indian-American to enter a presidential race as a contender for a major party's nomination.
He enters the race as a significant longshot: He hasn't surpassed one percent in a major national poll since April, and he faces a crowded field of conservatives.
This story has been updated.