With expectations mounting that Gov. Bobby Jindal will soon announce his campaign for president, attention is turning to not only who he will bring along with him but also what will transpire politically back home during the transition.
With expectations mounting that Gov. Bobby Jindal will soon announce his campaign for president, attention is turning to not only who he will bring along with him but also what will transpire politically back home during the transition.
"Things are in motion. The announcement is coming," said a senior-level source in the cabinet. "It's no secret that he's not around, but some of the people close to him are keeping their plays close to their vest and trying to figure out where they're going to land. But you do have a few people who are willing to die on the sword for him and will ride it out in hopes they can come along."
Another source with the state Republican Party said an official announcement is expected after this current election cycle wraps up and Jindal indicated the same during a recent interview on MSNBC, while qualifying he's still undecided.
"You're going to start to see some shuffling around of players sooner than later," the party official said.
A longtime lobbyist added, "Cabinet-level people are already starting to make moves and inquire about positions. Not necessarily on the secretary level, because some of them have retirement and other issues, but definitely with the deputies and those in proximity."
Just last week Jindal announced that Stafford Palmieri has been moved from the position of policy director to assistant chief of staff. Natalie LaBorde has taken Palmieri's spot, having previously served as senior policy advisor.
This kind of situation is routine toward the end of a governor's final term, but Jindal's political schedule is moving it up by a few months.
As for the 2015 regular session, lawmakers say there's a real appetite growing for cutting tax exemptions in order to create revenue, despite Jindal's long-held stance that such policy maneuvers equate to tax increases.
"None of us want to run for re-election next year on cutting higher ed and health care to the bone," said a lawmaker. "A lot of things will be on the table in 2015: the e-fairness tax, the film tax credits, the cigarette tax. We'll see if they actually move. The game of chicken I see playing out is Jindal preserving his anti-tax pledge and the Legislature overriding him."
Even though sources contend Revenue Secretary Tim Barfield has been encouraging the governor to find a peaceful middle ground, Jindal can probably avoid an override, which is probably unlikely anyhow, by simply stalling the bills he opposes during the short two-month session.
Jindal may still have sway over three very important pressure points in the process, according to lobbyists, that include House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles; Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego; and Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Chairman Neil Riser, R-Columbia.
Regardless, Jindal will have skin in the game since he will have to propose a 2015-2016 budget that could have a hole as large as $1.2 billion or more, based on the short-term financing used in the current budget and predictions released recently to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.