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A reception with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal raised $250,000 for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Bob McDonnell is having a good day.

The Republican candidate for governor in Virginia will rake in $350,000 on Monday thanks to a pair of fundraisers headlined by GOP stars Newt Gingrich and Bobby Jindal, a campaign aide told CNN.

A Monday morning breakfast reception with the former House Speaker in Falls Church netted McDonnell $100,000 from 125 guests. McDonnell will also take in a healthy $250,000 this evening at a fundraising reception with Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, to be held at the Great Falls home of Washington Redskins co-owner Dwight Schar.

Today's cash haul comes one week after another GOP star, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, helped McDonnell raise $100,000 at a reception on Capitol Hill.

The Democratic National Committee responded to the appearances by calling McDonnell, Gingrich and Jindal "right wing ideologues" who share "extreme positions on women's issues."

Meanwhile, the campaign of Democrat Creigh Deeds is hyping a "major campaign endorsement" from a statewide elected official to be announced Tuesday morning in northern Virginia.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said neither political party should 'question President Obama's patriotism or his intentions.'

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Thursday that Republicans should "give the new administration a chance" and suggested that former Vice President Dick Cheney should tone down his criticism of President Obama's national security policies.

"I think Democrat or Republican, we should all agree that our current president, our former president would obviously want to do everything they could to keep us safe," the Republican governor said on ABC's Good Morning America Thursday. "I don't think we should question President Obama's patriotism or his intentions."

Cheney has been highly critical of Obama, saying on CNN's State of the Union last month that the president's policies will "raise the risk to the American people of another attack."

Responding to a question about Cheney's remarks, Jindal said it's fine for both parties to have an "honest disagreement" on the best way to handle America's national security and praised Obama for "showing more flexibility when it comes to Iraq than maybe some of the campaign rhetoric suggested."

Jindal, seen as a rising star of the Republican Party, was himself critical of Obama's message during his trip overseas earlier this month and said he would have liked to see the president offer "more substantive policies."

"We need to stop going overseas and apologizing, criticizing our predecessors," Jindal said. "I think it's great that he's certainly well-received in foreign capitals, but I'd like to see more substantive changes from our allies."

The DNC fired back Wednesday, saying 'What we know has failed is the reflexive partisan politics of the past that Rush Limbaugh and his Republican party continue to be mired in.'

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Democratic National Committee fired back Wednesday at Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal for saying it is OK for Republicans to want President Obama to fail if they think the president is jeopardizing the country.

"We understand that Governor Jindal has had some problems with public speaking lately, but turning to Rush Limbaugh to be your new speechwriter doesn't help," DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan said in a statement sent to the media. "What we know has failed is the reflexive partisan politics of the past that Rush Limbaugh and his Republican party continue to be mired in. Rather than rooting for failure, we urge the Republican party to play a constructive role in moving the country forward and offer a budget proposal."

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Gov. Bobby Jindal is offering a spirited defense of Republicans who say they want President Obama to fail.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - – It's OK for Republicans to want President Obama to fail if they think he's jeopardizing the country, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal told members of his political party Tuesday night.

Jindal described the premise of the question - "Do you want the president to fail?" - as the "latest gotcha game" being perpetrated by Democrats against Republicans.

"Make no mistake: Anything other than an immediate and compliant, 'Why no sir, I don't want the president to fail,' is treated as some sort of act of treason, civil disobedience or political obstructionism," Jindal said at a political fundraiser attended by 1,200 people. "This is political correctness run amok."

Since conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh said that he hoped that Obama would fail, Republicans have been pressed by Democrats and the media about Limbaugh's comments.

Jindal, a potential 2012 presidential candidate, told the Republican audience he would "not be brow beaten on this, and I will not kowtow to their correctness."

"My answer to the question is very simple: 'Do you want the president to fail?' It depends on what he is trying to do."

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Bobby Jindal told Republicans Tuesday night to not look back.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal called on Republicans Tuesday to put the 2008 election behind them and embrace its role as the loyal opposition to President Obama and the Democratic Party.

"Let’s agree on this tonight, the time for talking about the past is now over," Jindal told 1,200 people attending a House GOP fundraiser here in Washington. "It has been healthy for Republicans to look in the mirror. It has been healthy for us to realize and admit the mistakes of the past. We have done that quite a bit. I personally have done that quite a bit since the election last fall. It’s now been close to five months since the last election.

He added, "It’s time to declare our time of introspection and navel gazing officially over. It’s time to get on with the business of charting America’s future. So as of now, be it hereby resolved, that we will focus on America’s future, and on standing up for fiscal sanity… before it is too late.

Jindal, a former House member and potential presidential candidate in 2012, credited his former colleagues for standing united in opposing Obama's policies.

"Thanks primarily to the Republicans in the House of Representatives, the Republican Party has once again decided to be the conservative party in this country," Jindal said.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will be the featured speaker tonight at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s March Dinner.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Right around the time that Barack Obama goes in front of reporters and cameras at the White House tonight, a man who may someday want to reside in the White House will also appear in front of cameras here in Washington.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will be the featured speaker tonight at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s March Dinner, which will be held at the National Building Museum. The first term governor and former congressman is considered a rising star in the GOP. His name came up quite often in the media last summer as Republican presidential candidate John McCain searched for a running mate, and last month Jindal gave the GOP response to President Barack Obama’s prime time address to a joint session of Congress. That response was panned by some political pundits.

Some political analysts speculate that Jindal may want to make a stab at the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, even though he’s up for re-election in 2011.

Jindal’s wife, Supriya, is flattered by speculation that her husband could be the Republican Party's standard-bearer in 2012. But, she said, the party and the country need "to focus on solutions right now and not focus on who the next candidate's going to be."

In an interview with Meghan McCain on the Daily Beast, Jindal said her husband's focus "always has been and should stay" on Louisiana. She said he plans to seek re-election as governor in 2011, a timetable that would seemingly complicate any aspirations top run a national campaign for president the following year.

"So all this talk is just talk going around," she said of the presidential chatter. "You know, we will see what happens but he is focused on his re election here in Louisiana and making a difference in our state."

Supriya Jindal, the wife of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, is flattered by speculation that her husband could be the Republican Party's standard-bearer in 2012.

(CNN) – Supriya Jindal, the wife of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, is flattered by speculation that her husband could be the Republican Party's standard-bearer in 2012. But, she said, the party and the country need "to focus on solutions right now and not focus on who the next candidate's going to be."

In an interview with Meghan McCain on The Daily Beast, Jindal said her husband's focus "always has been and should stay" on Louisiana. She said he plans to seek re-election as governor in 2011, a timetable that would seemingly complicate any aspirations top run a national campaign for president the following year.

"So all this talk is just talk going around," she said of the presidential chatter. "You know, we will see what happens but he is focused on his re-election here in Louisiana and making a difference in our state."

She defended the governor's poorly-received rebuttal of the president's national address in February, suggesting that he got some bad advice in his speech prep.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinions and it's funny because everyone always tells him he speaks too fast and that night he tried to slow it down," she said. "And the criticism was that he talked too slow."

Jindal also recalled the tale of how the couple met in high school, explaining that she had no clue the future governor had a crush on her at the time. He was apparently a shy kid.

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Jindal is rejecting $98 million in stimulus money.

(CNN) - In a budget proposal released Friday afternoon, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal indicated he is only rejecting $98 million of the federal stimulus funds due his state.

That figure is far less than the $700 million South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has indicated he may reject if the federal government does not allow Sanford to use that money to pay down his state's debt.

Jindal, an early GOP critic of the stimulus bill, is specifically rejecting funds aimed at expanding unemployment benefits on the belief his state would have to pick up the tab on the provision in two years.

In the budget proposal released Friday, Jindal emphasized the money he is accepting is temporary and a means to ultimately cutting spending.

"It is very important to understand…that federal stimulus funds are temporary funds. As such, they cannot be thought of as a permanent part of our state’s budget," he said Friday, adding, "Federal stimulus funds give us time to reform how the state runs so we can cut spending, ensure we are spending efficiently, and live within our means."

Jindal's announcement also comes a day after Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he would reject the $555 million in federal funds direct to his state to expand unemployment benefits.

Lousiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Barack Obama: I'm certainly not nearly as good of a speaker as he is.

(CNN) - CNN's Larry King talked with Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal in a prime-time exclusive interview Monday night.

Watch: Gov. Jindal on Larry King Live

Jindal gave the Republican response after President Obama's address to Congress last week. Jindal received negative reviews after the speech, and Larry asked him how he felt about that. They also talked about the war of words in the Republican Party centered around Rush Limbaugh.

The following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity:

Larry King: Governor, you took a lot of flak for that speech. Were you surprised that you did?

Gov. Bobby Jindal: Let's be clear, the president is a great speaker - probably the greatest we've seen in a generation. I'm certainly not nearly as good of a speaker as he is. And I'm not the only one that's got that opinion.

I hope people look at the content of the speech, not just the delivery. You know, for years, I've been told I speak too quickly. Now I'm told I speak too slowly.

What's more important is I was outlining a philosophical difference with the stimulus package, with the leadership in Congress, with the administration. I was outlining a philosophical disagreement that says we need to get businesses hiring again. We need to put more money in the private sector.

Let's cut taxes. Let's get rid of the wasteful spending. That's the debate. That's the discussion we need to be having.

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Jindal is still in recovery mode after his widely-panned speech.

(CNN) – Is Bobby Jindal following in Bill Clinton’s footsteps?

In 1988, the then-Arkansas governor was considered a hot pick as a future presidential candidate for his party.

That was before “the speech.”

Awarded a high-profile speaking gig at the Democratic Convention, Clinton nearly derailed his national political future with a disastrous performance. The speech was widely panned, and ran so long the crowd actually cheered when he said “in conclusion.”

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Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin leads in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Friday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As the the first unofficial ballots are cast in the next race for the White House, a new national survey of Republicans indicates that the GOP doesn't have a clear presidential frontrunner - but does have a clear gender gap.

Twenty-nine percent of Republicans questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they are most likely to support Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. Right behind the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, and well within the poll's 4.5 percent sampling error, is former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Twenty-six percent of those questioned say they are most likely backing the former, and possibly future, Republican presidential candidate.

Twenty-one percent of Republicans polled say they most likely would support former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, another GOP hopeful from the last campaign who may put his hat into the ring again.

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After nearly universal criticism was heaped on Gov. Bobby Jindal's high-profile response to President Obama's address to Congress Tuesday night, the Louisiana Republican may be wishing he had stayed home.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – It was billed as a "coming out party" for one of the GOP's most promising young stars.

Gov. Bobby Jindal seemed "over-coached and over-rehearsed," CNN's Candy Crowley said.

But after nearly universal criticism was heaped on Gov. Bobby Jindal's high-profile response to President Obama's address to Congress Tuesday night, the Louisiana Republican may be wishing he had stayed home.

The criticisms came from all sides of the political spectrum, including from those in conservative circles who have promoted the 36-year-old governor as the GOP's most likely advocate to bring the party back from the brink of irrelevance.

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Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal gives the GOP response to President Obama's address Tuesday.

(CNN) - Tapped by the Republican party to deliver the GOP's response to President Barack Obama's congressional address Tuesday night, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal took on the massive stimulus package and big government - and pledged that his party would regain the nation's trust.

Watch: Jindal responds to Obama

"In the end, it comes down to an honest and fundamental disagreement about the proper role of government," Jindal said. "We oppose the national Democratic view that says the way to strengthen our country is to increase dependence on government. We believe the way to strengthen our country is to restrain spending in Washington, to empower individuals and small businesses to grow our economy and create jobs.

"In recent years, these distinctions in philosophy became less clear - our party got away from its principles. Tonight, on behalf of our leaders in Congress and my fellow Republican governors, I say this: Our party is determined to regain your trust," Jindal said.

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Jindal will give the official GOP response to Obama.

(CNN) - Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will offer a spirited criticism of the Democrats' stimulus plan while stressing the need to forge bipartisanship in Washington during the official Republican response to the president's address to Congress Tuesday night.

“Democratic leaders say their legislation will grow the economy. What it will do is grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt," Jindal will say according to advance excerpts released by the Republican National Committee Tuesday.

But the rising GOP star will also hit on similar themes President Obama campaigned on last year, including the need for Washington lawmakers to come together.

“Republicans are ready to work with the new president to provide those solutions," he will say. "Here in my state of Louisiana, we don’t care what party you belong to if you have good ideas to make life better for our people. We need more of that attitude from both Democrats and Republicans in our nation’s capital."

Jindal is also set to say his party has recent failed when it comes to fiscal discipline.

“In recent years, these distinctions in philosophy became less clear – because our party got away from its principles," Jindal will say. "You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline, and personal responsibility. Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington. Republicans lost your trust – and rightly so."

Excerpts after the jump

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Jindal will deliver the GOP response to Pesident Obama Tuesday night. (Getty Images)

(CNN) - Thrust into the spotlight as a Republican rising star, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has been depicted as an up-and-comer capable of helping reshape the party and jockeying for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

And now, Jindal's party is putting him on a national platform, awarding the once little-known congressman the political plum of delivering the Republican's televised response to President Barack Obama's address to Congress on February 24.

"The speech is very important. This is his coming-out party," said G. Pearson Cross, head of the University of Louisiana's political science department, who has observed Jindal's political rise. "His speech will put a face on the name."

And put a fresh face on the Republican Party.

The GOP, still reeling from election beatings in 2006 and 2008, is looking to revamp itself by rebuilding from the states up and reaching out to young voters. At 37, the popular Louisiana governor embodies that mission, experts say.

"The job is very important in framing the Republican message really for the rest of the year," said Nick Ayers, executive director of the Republican Governors Association, referring to the response speech Tuesday. "Gov. Jindal provides the outside-the-beltway, not D.C., perspective. And he's one of the smartest policy minds in the country. He's not perceived as a overtly political person."

Being tapped for this prime-time speech, a job normally for congressional leaders, has helped to elevate Jindal's standing in the party dominated by old pros, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner, as well as personalities, such as Alaska's Sarah Palin and California's Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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Govs. Jindal, Pawlenty, and Sanford would not rule out running for president in 2012.

(CNN) – In January of 2006, Illinois' junior senator definitively stated on NBC's Meet the Press that he was not interested in running for president.

On Sunday, three Republican governors and potential White House hopefuls were considerably more cautious in answering the same question Barack Obama did three years ago.

"What I'm saying is I'm running for re-election. I have no, no plans beyond that," Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said on Meet the Press after facing repeated questions about his political future.

On Fox News Sunday, neither South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford or Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty would definitively rule out running.

"Is it a plan? Absolutely not. Is it a likelihood? Absolutely not. But I've learned that you never say guaranteed on tomorrow when you don't know tomorrow," Sanford said.

Pawlenty, meanwhile, said he is currently deciding whether to run for reelection in 2010.

"I'm first thinking about running for reelection for governor in the state of Minnesota, and that's my focus. And if I do, you know, people would expect you to serve out that term," he said.

To be sure, all three answers were significantly less definitive than the answer then-Senator Obama gave in 2006.

"I will serve out my full six-year term," he said then. "My thinking has not changed."

Bobby Jindal a former congressman and first term governor, was widely believed to be on then-Republican presidential nominee John McCain's shortlist for vice president.

(CNN) – Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is set to deliver the Republican response to Barack Obama's upcoming joint address to Congress - the high-profile slot the rival party often gives to one of its rising stars.

“Gov. Jindal embodies what I have long said: the Republican Party must not be simply the party of 'opposition,' but the party of better solutions," House Minority Leader John Boehner said in a Wednesday statement.

Jindal a former congressman and first term governor, was widely believed to be on then-Republican presidential nominee John McCain's shortlist for vice president, and often served as a campaign surrogate on the Arizona senator's behalf.

The 37-year-old son of Indian immigrants was also given a prime-time speaking slot at the GOP convention last September, though he ultimately decided not to attend the four-day event as Hurricane Gustav headed for landfall in his state.

An Ivy League grad, Rhodes Scholar, and the first non-white governor of Louisiana, Jindal has long been on the GOP's radar screen as a potential future leader and likely presidential candidate. And as the GOP is launching full-scale efforts to appeal to non-white voters, Jindal has become one of the party's most high-profile minorities.

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Jindal says he's not interested in running for president .

(CNN) – Bobby Jindal - the Indian-American Louisiana governor who is widely viewed as one of the frontrunners for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination - flatly said Tuesday he's not interested in seeking the White House.

"No," Jindal said definitively when asked if he was interested in being president, according to The Associated Press.

Jindall made the comments at a Richmond, Virginia, news conference, during which he endorsed Bob McDonnell – a Republican running for governor of Virginia.

Jindal said instead he has his sights set on seeking reelection to his current office in 2011.

But AP reports Jindal, whom many Republicans view as best positioned to transform the party's image, did not rule out the possibility he may change his mind about a White House run.

Jindal ventured to Iowa last month for a set of appearances and fundraisers - a move that fueled speculation he was begining to lay groundwork in the crucial early presidential voting state.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal heads to the state that kicks off the presidential primary season.

(CNN) - Bobby Jindal's in Iowa today. Louisiana's Governor will make a stop in Cedar Rapids to tour some of the damage from devastating floods earlier this year. He'll also participate in a fundraiser with some of the victims from the flooding. Tonight Jindal heads to Des Moines, where he's the keynote speaker at a fundraising dinner for the Iowa Family Policy Center's "Celebrating the Family" banquet, a major Christian conservative event.

Jindal's considered by many in the Republican party to be a rising star and his trip to Iowa, the state that kicks off the presidential primary season, is raising speculation that he might be interested in making a bid for the Republican Presidential Nomination in 2012. But Jindal says such talk is misplaced and that he has no plans to make a run for the White House.

Jindal was a Congressman from Louisiana's first congressional district when he was elected the state's governor in 2007. At 36, he became the youngest current governor in the country. Jindal was born in Louisiana to parents who immigrated from India.

There was speculation this past summer that Jindal was, among others, in consideration for the Republican vice presidential nomination. In late July Jindal squashed such talk, saying he would not be the GOP vice presidential nominee. John McCain eventually picked another GOP governor, Sarah Palin of Alaska, as his running mate.

Jindal may skip the GOP convention.

(CNN) – Hurricane Gustav, currently moving toward the Gulf of Mexico, may force Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to skip next week’s Republican Convention.

Three years to the week since Hurricane Katrina battered the Louisiana coast, some forecast models suggest the storm could pose another threat to the state next week.

Jindal, reported to be on John McCain's shortlist for VP, told reporters in Baton Rouge Tuesday afternoon he will not go to St Paul if the storm continues to move in a northwesterly track toward his state.

Considered to be a rising star in the Republican Party, Jindal is scheduled to deliver a high-profile address in prime time at the convention next Wednesday. But he said, “My first priority is with the state of Louisiana. Certainly if the storm continues to come our way, I’ll change my travel plans.”

Louisiana officials along with local and federal authorities face criticism for their preparation and response to Katrina in 2005, before Jindal was in office. He said his would make sure he was in place ahead of the storm’s potential arrival, saying, “Days before the storm, we’ll make sure that we and our local partners are fully prepared.”