Bobby Jindal doesn’t want to touch Mitt Romney with a 10-foot pole.
The Republican Louisiana governor distanced himself further from the failed GOP presidential candidate, saying Romney is “absolutely wrong” to assert that President Obama won another term in office because of “gifts” he gave to women and minorities.
“I don’t think that represents where we are as a party and where we’re going to be as a party,” Jindal said at the Republican Governor’s Association.
Romney told a group of donors on Wednesday he lost because of Obama’s “gifts” to Latinos, blacks, women and young voters. He cited health insurance, help with college loans, free contraception and “amnesty” for children of undocumented immigrants.
Team Romney released a statement on Thursday, saying "Governor Romney was simply elaborating on what (Obama senior strategist) David Axelrod had said about the Obama campaign's effort to target key demographics, most specifically, women."
Jindal's strong rebuke, however, comes just days after he told Politico that his party needs to stop being so “stupid.”
“It is no secret we had a number of Republicans damage our brand this year with offensive, bizarre comments—enough of that 'It’s not going to be the last time anyone says something stupid within our party, but it can’t be tolerated within our party,'” he said.
So why the harsh criticism? Well, Jindal, who was once thought to be a potential running mate for Romney, is already being floated as a potential 2016 presidential candidate. He was also selected to chair the Republican Governors Association next year.