(AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal has $9.2 million in his campaign account for his fall re-election bid, showing a continued fundraising prowess that could make it difficult for Democrats to find a challenger to jump in the governor’s race.
The Republican governor’s latest campaign finance report will show $3.6 million raised in 2010 and $12.3 million total brought in for this election cycle, said his chief of staff, Timmy Teepell, who previewed the report before it was officially filed.
Teepell called it “enough to run a good campaign.”
The report, showing Jindal’s contributions and spending from last year, is due to the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program on Tuesday, along with finance reports from all the statewide elected officials.
The reports are considered a bellwether of the strength of the officials’ re-election bids before the Oct. 22 primary election.
“We continue to be aggressive in raising the resources we need to put our message in front of the voters. I hope the voters will entrust me to serve them for a second term,” Jindal said when asked about his latest report.
In office since 2008, Jindal has no announced competitors so far, though several Democrats — including wealthy contenders who could help finance their own campaigns — are rumored to be considering a possible campaign as the governor’s approval ratings have dipped.
The sign-up period for the race is in September.
“We’re not going to be complacent. We’re not going to take anything for granted,” Jindal said.
The governor’s fundraising pace slowed slightly from 2009, when he had raised $5 million as he crisscrossed the country and held at least three dozen fundraisers in different states. Last year, he attended fewer than a dozen out-of-state fundraisers for his own campaign.
That’s because he was mired in the Gulf oil spill disaster throughout the summer.
He later spent most of the midterm election cycle stumping for candidates in other states and raising cash for GOP causes and organizations expected to help build his profile nationally. Doing so didn’t necessarily create dollars for his own campaign account.
Still, Jindal has nearly reached his fundraising total from his 2007 race, when he had collected about $13 million. He spent $11 million on that campaign, with much of the money raised in the final months.
The governor has denied he is running for anything besides re-election this year, but he has traveled the country extensively in the last three years to raise money for himself and other Republicans. He has tapped into an extensive network of GOP fundraising and consulting firms that could help launch future political campaigns on a national stage.
Other campaign finance reports for the 2010 fundraising period included:
—Treasurer John Kennedy raised the most among statewide elected officials after Jindal. Kennedy’s report showed him raising more than $1 million in the last year and ending the period with $1.4 million in the bank. Although Kennedy has been publicly critical of several of Jindal’s budget proposals, the Republican treasurer insists he is only running for re-election.
—Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, a Republican, showed $146,538 on hand, after running a special election to get the job.
Dardenne took office in November and left his previous position as secretary of state.
—Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, who recently switched to the GOP, reported $466,854 in his account, most of it raised in the last year.
—Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, a Republican, reported $404,795 in the bank.
—Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain, a Republican, reported $186,459 in his campaign coffers.
—Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat who left office in 2008, still has more than $2.1 million in her campaign account. She spent $208,764 in the latest reporting period, including thousands in donations for Democratic candidates and the state party. She contributed to Caroline Fayard’s failed bid for lieutenant governor and Charlie Melancon’s lost election for the U.S. Senate. She also gave $26,500 to the Louisiana Democratic Party.
 
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