Indian-American Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal today said he is "absolutely not" running for the US Senate seat currently held by Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu, despite speculation about his interest.
Jindal was asked about a potential Senate candidacy at a press conference announcing CB&I's plans to bring 400 jobs to the state, and emphatically denied he's considering it.
"Absolutely not," Jindal told reporters.
"There are no caveats, no wiggle room. I'm not trying to give myself any out. I have absolutely no interest in running for the United States Senate. I am not a candidate for the United States Senate. I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate. You can film that, you can write that down. Absolutely not," he said, after speaking at the event.
Landrieu is in her third term and is considered vulnerable because she is a Democrat in a state that tends to vote Republican in national elections.
However, polls earlier this year showed Jindal's once-formidable job performance rating had fallen below 50 per cent just over a year after he was re-elected.
She already has attracted two potential Republican challengers: US Rep Bill Cassidy, a Baton Rouge doctor elected to Congress in 2008, and Rob Maness, a retired Air Force colonel and tea party supporter from Madisonville.
Jindal seems to be eyeing other opportunities, including a potential 2016 presidential bid.
The Senate election will be held in November 2014.
