Jindal speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, June 8, 2012. (Scott Olson/Getty)
LAS VEGAS--Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal criticized former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Wednesday for saying that he lost the 2012 election to President Barack Obama in part because Democrats promised "gifts" to minority groups, calling Romney's remarks "absolutely wrong."
According to The Los Angeles Times, Romney told donors on a conference call after the election that the Obama campaign "focused on giving targeted groups a big gift" and was "very generous" to ethnic minorities and young voters. Speaking to reporters here at an annual meeting of Republican governors, Jindal said such rhetoric could divide voting groups.
"I think that's absolutely wrong," Jindal said. "We have got to stop dividing the American voters. We need to go after 100 percent of the votes, not 53 percent. We need to go after every single vote. ... So I absolutely reject that notion, that description. I think it's absolutely wrong. I don't think that represents where we are as a party, where we're going as a party. That has got to be one of the most fundamental takeaways from this election."
Jindal, who is set to become chairman of the Republican Governors Association, has called on the party to reshape its tone when presenting ideas, especially to constituencies that traditionally vote Democratic.
"I'm passionate about it because I think it's extremely, extremely important," Jindal said. "This is just something that's fundamentally important for the future of our party."