When Haley Barbour was thinking about running for the 2012 presidential nomination, he said, “If you see me losing 40 pounds, that means either I’m running or I have cancer.”
Politicians mulling presidential candidacies have made dieting something of a signal that they’re serious about running, but not all potential candidates are struggling to shed weight. According to a source close to Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, the governor has gained 13 pounds over the past few months. At 5′10″, Jindal has always looked slight; this is the first indication that, with the 2016 election on the horizon, he is looking to beef up.
Chris Christie’s dramatic weight loss has prompted rampant speculation about his presidential ambitions, though the governor said that he underwent lap-band surgery in February of last year exclusively for health purposes. Texas senator Ted Cruz and former Florida governor Jeb Bush have also quietly slimmed down.
All, it appears, are preparing for the physical rigors of the campaign trail. Jindal, though, is the only potential 2016 contender who is doing so by packing on the pounds.