Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Friday endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president.
“Marco can unify our party. His optimistic message is bringing voters from across the party lines, from across different demographic groups,” Jindal told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren. “He can unify our party. He can win this election in November.”
“I think he’s a principled conservative. I think he is the right guy to lead us forward,” he added.
Jindal, who also was a candidate for president until he dropped his campaign in November, also said he was impressed by Rubio’s foreign policy.
“Marco’s been consistent about strengthening America’s foreign policy,” Jindal said. “Marco’s consistently stood up to the threat of ISIS, radical Islam.”
Rubio responded by calling Jindal “one of the smartest people in American politics.”
“He’s going to be a huge asset to our campaign,” Rubio told Van Susteren in a taped statement. “I think he has a very promising future in American politics. One of the best governors in America.”
“We’re really excited to have him on board. This is going to be a good boost to our campaign,” he added.
Jindal is the second former 2016 rival to endorse Rubio this week, as former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum threw his support behind the Florida senator on Wednesday.