Jindal on Romney 'gifts' comments: 'Absolutely wrong'

Incoming RGA head Gov. Bobby Jindal moved swiftly to cauterize the impact of Mitt Romney's comments to donors about all the "gifts" that were the reason President Obama was able to forge a coalition of younger, women, Hispanic and African-American voters on election day, via Jonathan Martin and James Hohmann:

“No, I think that’s absolutely wrong,” he said at a press conference that opened the RGA’s post-election meeting here. “Two points on that: One, 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. “And, secondly, we need to continue to show how our policies help every voter out there achieve the American Dream, which is to be in the middle class, which is to be able to give their children an opportunity to be able to get a great education. … So, I absolutely reject that notion, that description. I think that’s absolutely wrong.”

Jindal, who had been mentioned for months as a potential VP nominee before Paul Ryan was ultimately picked, is seen as one of his party's stars for 2016. He had been a surrogate for Romney, but has also made clear where he thinks the campaign failed in the last few days. Romney's remarks are also similar, if more pointed, than what various campaign aides have said since they lost the election - that it was the popularity of Obamacare, or that black turnout was inordinantly high, or that he was already so defined with Hispanics by Obama that it was hopeless.

However, Jindal's condemnation of the party nominee's remarks underscore the depth of the problem Republicans know they have after last week's trouncing in the presidential race, and in a slew of Senate contests.

Maggie Haberman is senior political reporter for Politico.