State Sen. Bill Cassidy (R) officially threw his hat into the ring Tuesday to try to win back the Baton Rouge-based House seat that the GOP lost in a high-profile special election in May.

And he appears to be running with the support of popular Gov. Bobby Jindal (R).

Cassidy, a physician, won a special election in 2006 to replace now-Secretary of State Jay Dardenne (R) in his state Senate district. He was re-elected in 2007 and contemplated running in this spring’s special House election but eventually declined. In that race, Democrat Don Cazayoux beat the controversial Republican candidate, Woody Jenkins, in what was the second of three key special election victories for House Democrats this spring.

Jenkins has said he intends to run again for the Republican nomination, as will businesswoman Laurinda Calongne, whom Jenkins beat in a GOP primary runoff.

But in a likely signal of where party leaders will be putting their support, Cassidy’s first fundraiser is scheduled for next Thursday in Baton Rouge and Jindal will be the “special guest” at the $500-per-person event.