While many are still attempting to guess who Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney will select as his vice presidential running mate, many in the political arena have begun to speculate if Gov. Bobby Jindal will throw his hat into the ring.
In a May 3 interview with CNN’s “Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien,” O’Brien asked Jindal how he would respond if Romney offered him the vice presidential position on his ticket.
“I’ve got the job that I want,” Jindal said. “I know pundits will be speculating on who he’s going to pick. At the end of the day, he’ll pick the person who will do the best job as president and make that decision not based on political or other grounds.”
Additionally, former presidential candidate John McCain said Jindal would be a “qualified candidate” in an April 4 interview with “CBS This Morning.”
But some at the University members doubt Jindal will be selected.
James Garand, political science professor, said it would be unlikely for Romney to choose Jindal as his running mate.
“First, Jindal supported Perry, then he supported Santorum and finally Romney after both candidates dropped from the race,” Garand said. “It would be unlikely that [Romney] would pick someone who was against him. Jindal picked all of Romney’s competitors, and it was like Jindal’s idea was ‘anyone but Romney.'”
Regardless of whether Jindal is considering the position, his second term as governor has been an eventful one.
While Jindal’s work with retirement and education reform made headlines across the state, other issues in the state, including finical aid for veterans, have placed Jindal on many college students’ radar.
On Feb. 15, Jindal expressed support for legislation that changed TOPS eligibility for veterans.
Previously, TOPS offered aid to students entering the military after high school for up to five years following their high school graduation, but under the prior conditions, veterans who chose to re-enlist lost the extra aid from the scholarship program.
Under the new legislation, veterans are given a year to enroll in college under the TOPS program following their active military service.
Although budget cuts to higher education wrought havoc upon the University during Jindal’s first term, political science department chairman James Stoner said voters understood the seriousness of the state budget crisis, and based on this understanding, Jindal’s approval ratings were high.
“My guess is that voters understand that the state budget is in crisis, that raising taxes in a recession is not a wise thing to do, and therefore that all the agencies and institutions funded by the state must take a hit,” he said.
 
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Contact Kate Mabry at [email protected]