Jindal begins Iowa trip with tour, speech

• By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Nov 22, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Gov. Bobby Jindal is in Iowa today for his first visit to the tall corn state and the birthplace of presidential campaigns. 

Officially, Jindal is in the Midwest to raise money for disaster victims, tour flood damage and speak to conservatives.

However, his visit is triggering heavy speculation about his future ambitions, given that Iowa is the opening scene of any presidential race. The speculation is rampant despite the governor’s insistence that he plans to run for re-election as governor in 2011.

Iowa Republican Bob Vander Plaats said Friday that he hopes Jindal’s visit will inspire fans of the pro-family movement after John McCain’s loss to Barack Obama. “It’s a time in our life where we’re wanting to hear from people who are authentically conservative, who can win with a positive message,” Vander Plaats said.

Jindal will be in Cedar Rapids this morning for a fundraiser and a tour of the summer flood damage. He then will head to West Des Moines for a dinner with the Iowa Family Policy Center. He is bunking at the Governor’s Mansion tonight at Iowa Gov. Chet Culver’s invitation.

For political watchers, the policy center dinner is the main event.

The center is a nonprofit organization that says it is dedicated to family values. The center’s president, Chuck Hurley, backed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the recent presidential race. Hurley’s ties to religious conservatives are credited with helping Huckabee win the Iowa caucus in January.

Earlier this week, The Washington Post columnist Chris Cillizza pegged Jindal as the hottest commodity in the GOP.

“Jindal is the rare candidate who both reformers and establishment types find appealing,” Cillizza wrote.

Vander Plaats, who was the state chairman for Huckabee’s campaign, said nearly 800 people are expected to attend the dinner.

The event includes a private reception and photo opportunity with Jindal as well as a banquet. Tickets range from $5,000 to $50 depending on the amount of interaction with the governor.

The Rev. Gene Mills, leader of the Louisiana Family Forum, said Jindal is an attractive speaker because of “the intelligence he brings on matters important to the faith and family community.”

Mills, who plans to attend the dinner, dismisses speculation about Jindal’s ambitions.