If tragedy strikes and the GOP fails to unseat Obama in 2012, Jindal will almost certainly be considered a front runner in 2016 if he chooses to run.

He made a strong case for his success as a politician by easily winning a second term yesterday in Louisiana's open primary.

Bloomberg:

Jindal earned 65.8 percent of the vote in yesterday's ballot, negating the need for a November general election, according to the AP, which declared him the winner. Tara Hollis, a Democrat and schoolteacher making her first bid for public office, came in second with 17.9 percent of the vote, with 100 percent of precincts reporting.

Jindal, 40, is the first Indian-American governor in the nation. He was elected on promises to change the state's reputation as a nest for corruption. Within months of taking office, he won approval for laws prohibiting public officials from holding state contracts and requiring them to disclose information about their personal finances.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune endorsed Jindal for re- election this month for those efforts as well as for his management of hurricanes, including Ida in 2009 and Lee in 2011, and the 2010 BP Plc oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Jindal has cut taxes and supported outsourcing government services to private companies. Louisiana's jobless rate of 7.2 percent ranks below the national average of 9.1 percent.

Democrats outnumber Republicans in Louisiana 44 percent to 41 percent, according to Gallup data. Tens of thousands of New Orleans residents, who traditionally voted Democratic, were displaced after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

A poll conducted by WWL-TV on Oct. 5 gave Jindal an approval rating of 63 percent.

Jindal will be leaving office just about the time the caucuses and primaries start to heat up in 2016. He will have a record of achievement that will be the envy of most of the rest of the potential field. He should be one of the favorites as long as he avoids scandal and continues to oversee growth in the economy of Louisiana.