WASHINGTON – Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says Sarah Palin is “absolutely” electable as president, a topic of debate among Republicans even though she has yet to announce her intentions for 2012.

“It’s up to her to make the case to voters,” Jindal said in an interview on “Political Capital With Al Hunt” on Bloomberg Television.

Jindal, 39, was asked about recent comments by Joe Scarborough, an MSNBC commentator and former Republican congressman from Florida, who said it was time for Republicans to “man up” and recognize the former Alaska governor is a reality TV show star who cannot be elected.

“I think there are several strong contenders,” said Jindal, who stopped short of endorsing Palin.

Palin, the Republican Party’s 2008 nominee for vice president, has said that she is considering a campaign for president in 2012.

Besides Palin, a number of Republican governors and former lawmakers are already considering presidential bids. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who led the “Republican Revolution” in 1994 when the party gained 52 House seats, said he’s leaning toward running for president in 2012 and may decide as soon as February.

“We’re much more inclined to run than not run,” Gingrich, 67, said on the “Fox News Sunday” program. Gingrich said Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is “probably the front-runner” in the race for the Republican nomination, while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is ahead “in popularity.” He called former Alaska Gov. Palin “a phenomenon in her own right.”

 

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