The Hill News

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) said this weekend that he is "absolutely" running for reelection next year.

The Louisiana governor, who has sometimes been mentioned as a potential GOP presidential candidate in 2012, said he fully intends to seek a second term.

"I'm absolutely running for reelection," Jindal said during an interview with a local NBC affiliate. "You know, there's been a lot of speculation: would I run for anothe! r office, would I go to Washington, D.C.? I'm interested in helping to lead our state."

Jindal had been a favorite among some conservatives in the crowd of potential 2012 candidates. His standing, though, took a hit after a lackluster response to President Obama's first joint session address to Congress.

The governor has also found himself since then occupied with the handling of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and cleanup efforts associated with the ecological disaster. The crisis has seen him grow in popularity in Louisiana, especially as Jindal hammers away at the Obama administration and federal regulators for its moratorium on new, deepwater offshore drilling. The oil industry is a big employer in Louisiana, and Jindal, along with other Gulf State governors, have taken a sharp tone against Obama's ban on new drilling projects.

"The federal government has taken a lot of action that have hurt our economy," Jindal told KPLC. "For example, t! his moratorium that could cost Louisiana as much as 20,000 job! s. They' ve also done things like cap and trade…you add all that up and the federal government has adopted many policies that are hurting our economy."

Jindal is up for reelection next year.