1:00 PM ET1:00PM ET By Nick Corasaniti
Bobby Jindal Forms Exploratory Committee

Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana spoke with Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa at the Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines on Saturday.Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana announced Monday that he is forming an exploratory committee as he contemplates a possible run for the Republican nomination for president.


In an email sent to reporters, Mr. Jindal was harshly critical of President Obama and said the country was ready “to try a dramatically different path.”


“While other Republican leaders are talking about change, I’ve published detailed plans to repeal and replace Obamacare, rebuild America’s defenses, make America energy independent, and reform education for our nation’s children,” Mr. Jindal wrote in the statement.


The forming of an exploratory committee, once a formality taken by nearly every potential candidate, has become slightly more rare this cycle, with candidates such as Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, as well as Hillary Rodham Clinton, opting to create other entities and jump right into an announced candidacy.


Mr. Jindal has been making the early rounds at Republican gatherings of presidential candidates and hopefuls, often tailoring his message on socially conservative issues and health care.


He said he will make a final decision in June after the legislative session in Louisiana ends.


For long-shot presidential contenders, the art of the campaign announcement has started to have a familiar ring: drip, drip, drip.

The latest example came on Monday, when Senator Lindsey Graham teed up an “important announcement” to be made on CBS. After expounding on foreign policy, Mr. Graham unveiled plans to — wait for it — make another announcement.


The Republican from South Carolina will say officially he’s running on June 1.


The strategy echoes the one used by former Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, whose wife last week invited supporters to an announcement event in Dallas where the Perry family members could discuss the role they could play in America’s future.


Last month, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas followed a similar playbook, announcing his announcement plans for May 5.


On the Democratic side, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an underdog against Hillary Rodham Clinton, leaked his announcement plans to select news organizations, then released a statement on his website before holding a press conference in Washington. A formal announcement in Vermont is scheduled for later this month.


Strategists say that with the appetite for political news growing more voracious earlier in the election cycle, candidates who are likely to struggle with fund-raising get more exposure and rewards by keeping their names in the lights as long as possible.


“It’s the soft opening before the official opening,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist who served on Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008. “It helps drive home more name identification for these folks.”


Mr. O’Connell noted that the growing prominence of “super PACs” has been another reason for campaigns to drag out there rollouts, as it allows more time for candidates to court donors for outside groups.


Of course, not all campaign hints translate into a presidential candidacy.

Last week, John Bolton, the former United Nations ambassador, set up a conference call, scheduled interviews and released a video to announce his plans not to run.


And Donald Trump has mastered the art of raising his name recognition by ruminating about his presidential aspirations before ultimately choosing to keep his day job as a real estate mogul and TV personality.

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/firs...ory-committee/