Baton Rouge resident Ricky Hall and his two children are ready for change in Louisiana.
And governor candidate Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, is their man.
“We need somebody with new integrity,” Hall, 52, said. “He’s going to make a good leader.”
Hall and his children, 10-year-old Hannah and six-year-old Jacob, met the U.S. representative Monday when Jindal officially began his campaign for governor in front of about 200 supporters at the Louisiana Aircraft Hanger in Baton Rouge.
“He’s smart – he has the brains,” Jacob Hall said.
Jindal, who eluded questions about fellow representative U.S. Sen. David Vitter’s recent alleged sex scandal, kicked off his campaign with a seven-city tour of the state, which ended later in the evening in New Orleans.
“Today is about the future,” Jindal said when asked about Vitter. “Today is about where we can take Louisiana.”
A major portion of Jindal’s eight-minute speech stressed the importance of Louisiana retaining its promising younger generation.
“We’re losing our greatest asset – our young people,” Jindal said. “They go to Georgia [and] Texas. They go elsewhere to pursue their dreams … it is within our ability to create a future where other states will be complaining about losing their children to Louisiana.”
In his rally speech, Jindal asked the crowd to join him in a war on government corruption, incompetence and out-of-control spending.
“We’ve been the butt of national jokes for far too long,” he said. “We’re not laughing anymore.”
The Republican candidate touched on several subjects plaguing Louisiana, including the struggles with the Road Home program, which funds hurricane recovery in Louisiana.
“It took so long to start getting people their money that, even now, [the program] is billions of dollars short due to an accounting mistake,” he said.
In May, Jindal sent a letter to Gov. Kathleen Blanco saying the program could reach a $2 billion shortfall. The latest Road Home statistics show that $6.89 billion in awards have been calculated and $2.1 billion has been distributed to applicants.
Jindal also promised that as his campaign moves forward, he will release a detailed plan of how he will improve the state’s problems.
“The first chapter will deal with ethics,” Jindal said. “Indeed, my first special session as governor will be devoted exclusively to making Louisiana the best, not the worst, when it comes to ethics reform.”
Fighting corruption, Jindal said, is one of the keys to repairing the state’s problems. He pointed out Louisiana is No. 4 in the country in the per capita conviction rate of its elected officials.
“Aren’t you proud?” Jindal asked. “The most crooked politicians in America are right here.”
At the end of his speech, Jindal pledged victory in the election and reminded his supporters of his intention to run for governor.
“We’re going to win this election, and then we’re going to change our state,” he said. “Oh by the way, I want to let you know I am here to announce my candidacy as your next governor of the great state of Louisiana.”
The primary for the gubernatorial election will be Oct. 20, and if needed, the run-off will be held Nov. 17.
Some of Jindal’s top opposition include state Sen. Walter Boasso, R-Arabi, and Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell.
—Contact Kyle Whitfield at [email protected]