Louisiana: Jindal announces. Bobby Jindal, the second-term governor of Louisiana, became the 13th Republican to announce a 2016 bid for the White House. Jindal, 44, was summed up as “Southerner. Wonk. Immigrants’ son.” by the Washington Post. But Fivethirtyeight Politics notes that Jindal is weak in his home state, with an approval rating that has declined 25 points since 2012. Moreover, he’s barely scratching – 1% or 2% – in national surveys ……. South Carolina: Haley for veep? Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has scored major points with the national GOP and the media for her quick and appropriate response to the massacre in Charleston by leading the effort to remove the Confederate flag from the state house grounds. Her performance is “stoking speculation that she could be the vice presidential nominee” for the GOP in 2016 ……. Kentucky: McConnell praises bipartisan work on trade. With the Senate’s 60-37 vote on Tuesday to approve ‘fast-track’ trade authority for President Obama and the likelihood that the House would follow suit shortly, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) said, “We have demonstrated we can work together on a bipartisan basis…,” reported The Hill. Score one for pragmatism over partisanship …….
