Romney Adds to Louisiana Team as Jindal Remains on Sidelines

With Illinois holding its primary on Tuesday, Louisiana, which will have 46 delegates at the GOP convention in Tampa, is next in line with a primary on Saturday. This primary is shaping up to be the most important GOP presidential battle in the Pelican State since 1996, when Pat Buchanan effectively set himself up as the conservative alternative to Bob Dole by crushing Phil Gramm in the Louisiana caucus, which was actually held before Iowa in that election cycle.

With wins in Alabama and Mississippi, Rick Santorum has been campaigning in Louisiana looking for another win down South, but Mitt Romney added to his team in the state this week when he unveiled the support of Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain.

I'm happy to have the support of both Jay and Mike, said Romney in a statement. President Obamas economic and energy policies have failed Louisiana and the nation. With the help of leaders like Lieutenant Governor Dardenne and Agriculture Commissioner Strain, we can ensure that we defeat President Obama in November and utilize our vast energy resources here at home.

The prize endorsement out of Louisiana -- besides Drew Brees, of course -- would be Gov. Bobby Jindals. It would be a major coup for Romney if he could get Jindals endorsement. Jindal, the son of immigrants from India, makes some sense for Romney as a possible vice presidential candidate. During his short time in Congress, Jindal served on the Homeland Security Committee and he is a Catholic. But there are also some problems. Romneys been ripping Santorum for backing earmarks -- and Jindal was ranked as one of the largest earmarkers in Congress despite his lack of seniority. Jindal also flopped on the national stage when he offered the Republican response to Barack Obama in 2009. Still, whatever his flaws, he is likely to be on the short list if Romney gets the nomination.