Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to Endorse Rick Perry

Hot on the heels of this morning's announcement of former Minnesota governor and former presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty's endorsement of Mitt Romney, the Perry campaign pulls out the stops to make sure they don't get one-upped ahead of tonight's debate:

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is backing Rick Perry for president, a major endorsement for the Texas governor as the campaign for the Republican nomination enters the crucial fall stretch of the primary calendar, a source tells CNN.

Jindal is on his way to Florida and will be Perry's guest at Monday night's "Tea Party Republican Debate" broadcast on CNN from Tampa, the source said. Jindal is expected to formally make the announcement prior to the debate.

Relatedly, Politico is reporting that Romney is helping retire Pawlenty's campaign debt, which somewhat devalues the power of Pawlenty's endorsement.