Bobby Jindal
Encyclopedia
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana
and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives
. He is a member of the Republican Party
.
On October 20, 2007, Jindal was elected governor of Louisiana, winning a four-way race with 54.2% of the vote. At age 36, Jindal became the youngest serving governor in the United States. However, on January 12, 2011, he became the second-youngest current U.S. governor, after Nikki Haley
of South Carolina. He is the first Indian-American governor in the country In 2008, Governor Jindal was ranked one of the nation's most popular governors with an approval rating of 77%.
Before Jindal was elected governor, he was a member of Congress
for Louisiana's 1st congressional district
, elected in 2004. Jindal was re-elected to the House in the 2006 election
with 88% of the vote. He was the second Indian-American elected to Congress.
On October 22, 2011, Jindal was elected to a second term as governor, polling nearly 66 percent of the vote.
, to Amar and Raj Jindal, who came to the United States as immigrants from Punjab
, India
, six months before he was born. Jindal attended Baton Rouge Magnet High School
, graduating in 1988. He competed in tennis tournaments, started a computer newsletter, a retail candy business, and a mail-order software company. He spent his free time working at the concession stands during LSU football games. Jindal was one of 50 students nationwide admitted to the elite PLME program at Brown University
, guaranteeing him a place in medical school. He was interested in public policy. Jindal also completed a second major in biology. He graduated in 1991 at the age of 20, with honors in both majors.
Jindal was named a member of the 1992 USA Today All-USA Academic Team. He was accepted by both Harvard Medical School
and Yale Law School
, but studied at New College, Oxford
, as a Rhodes Scholar
. He received an M.Litt. degree
in political science
with an emphasis in health policy from the University of Oxford
in 1994 for his thesis "A needs-based approach to health care". He turned down an offer to study for a D.Phil. in politics, instead joining the consulting firm McKinsey & Company
.
(whom Jindal had worked for as a summer intern) introduced him to Governor Mike Foster. In 1996 Foster appointed Jindal as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
, an agency that represented about 40 percent of the state budget
and employed over 12,000 people. Jindal was the youngest ever Secretary of the DHH at 25. During his tenure, Louisiana's Medicaid
program went from bankruptcy
with a $400 million deficit into three years of surplus
es totaling $220 million. Jindal was criticized during the 2007 campaign by the Louisiana AFL-CIO
for closing some local clinics to reach that surplus. Under Jindal's term, Louisiana nationally rose to third place in child healthcare screenings, with child immunizations rising, and introduced new and expanded services for the elderly and the disabled. In 1998, Jindal was appointed executive director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare, a 17-member panel charged with devising plans to reform Medicare
.
In 1999, at the request of the Louisiana Governor's Office and the Louisiana State Legislature
, Jindal volunteered his time to study how Louisiana might use its $4.4 billion share of the tobacco settlement. In that same year, at only 28 years of age, Jindal was appointed to become the youngest-ever president of the University of Louisiana System
, the nation's 16th largest system of higher education with over 80,000 students per year. In March 2001 he was nominated by President
George W. Bush
to be Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation
. He was later unanimously confirmed by a vote of the United States Senate
and began serving on July 9, 2001. In that position, he served as the principal policy advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. He resigned from that post on February 21, 2003, to return to Louisiana and run for governor.
for Louisiana governor.
In what Louisianans call an "open primary
" (but which is technically a nonpartisan blanket primary), Jindal finished first with 33 percent of the vote. He received endorsements from the largest paper in Louisiana, the New Orleans' Times-Picayune; the newly elected Democratic mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin
; and the outgoing Republican governor, Mike Foster
. In the second balloting, Jindal faced the outgoing lieutenant governor, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Lafayette
, a Democrat. Despite winning in Blanco's hometown, he lost many normally conservative parishes in north Louisiana, and Blanco prevailed with 52 percent of the popular vote.
Political analysts have speculated on myriad explanations for his loss. Some have blamed Jindal for his refusal to answer questions targeted at his religion and ethnic background brought up in several Democratic advertisements, which the Jindal Campaign called "negative attack ads." Others note that a significant number of conservative Louisianans remain more comfortable voting for a conservative Democrat, than for a Republican. Still others maintain that his defeat in typically conservative parishes in the northern portion of the state as evidence of racial prejudice
against the Indian-American Jindal.
Despite his losing the election in 2003, the run for governor made Jindal a well-known figure on the state's political scene and a rising star within the Republican party.
A few weeks after the 2003 gubernatorial runoff, Jindal decided to run for Louisiana's 1st congressional district
. The incumbent, David Vitter
, was running for the Senate
seat being vacated by John Breaux
. The Louisiana Republican Party endorsed him in the primary although Mike Rogers, also a Republican, was running for the same seat. The 1st District has been in Republican hands since a 1977 special election and is widely considered to be staunchly conservative. Jindal also had an advantage because his campaign was able to raise over $1 million very early in the campaign, making it harder for other candidates to effectively raise funds to oppose him. He won the 2004 Election with 78 percent of the vote. Jindal secured reelection in 2006 with 88 percent of the vote.
He was appointed to the House Committee on Homeland Security
, the House Committee on Resources
, and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce
. He was made Vice-Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attacks. Jindal served as President of the incoming Freshman class of congressmen in 2004. He was elected to the position of House Assistant Majority Whip, a senior leadership role; he served in this capacity from 2004-2006.
, State Senator
Walter Boasso
of Chalmette
and Louisiana Public Service Commission
er Foster Campbell
of Bossier City
, and an independent
, New Orleans business
man John Georges
.
Jindal finished with 699,672 votes (54 percent). Boasso ran second with 226,364 votes (17 percent). Georges finished with 186,800 (14 percent), and Campbell, who is also a former state senator, ran fourth with 161,425 (12 percent). The remaining candidates collectively polled three percent of the vote. Jindal polled pluralities or majorities
in 60 of the state's 64 parishes (equivalent to counties in other states). He lost narrowly to Georges in Orleans Parish, to Boasso in St. Bernard Parish (which Boasso represented in the Legislature), and in the two neighboring north Louisiana parishes of Red River and Bienville located south of Shreveport
, both of which are historically Democratic and supported Campbell. In the 2003 contest with Blanco, Jindal had lost most of the northern parishes. This marked the first time that a non-incumbent candidate for governor was elected without a runoff under the Louisiana election system.
business
woman Virginia Kilpatrick Shehee
, the first woman to have served in the state senate, as the vice chairman of the panel. Jindal assumed the position of governor when he took the oath of office
on January 14, 2008. At thirty-six, he became the youngest sitting governor in the United States. He is also Louisiana's first non-white governor since P. B. S. Pinchback
served for thirty-five days during Reconstruction, and the first non-white governor to be elected (Pinchback succeeded to the position of Lieutenant Governor on the death of Oscar Dunn
, then to Governor upon the impeachment of Henry Clay Warmoth).
In a salute to the 2007 LSU Tigers football
national championship team during his January 14, 2008 inauguration speech, Jindal stated in part "...They revere our athletes. Go Tigers...."
On May 3, 2008 a special election
was held to determine Jindal's replacement in the 1st Congressional District. Steve Scalise
, a state legislator
, was elected with 75 percent of the vote over University of New Orleans
professor Dr. Gilda Reed.
On June 27, 2008, Louisiana's Secretary of State confirmed that a recall petition had been filed against Governor Jindal in response to Jindal's refusal to veto a bill that would more than double the current state legislative pay. During his campaign for Governor, Jindal had pledged to prevent legislative pay raises that would take effect during the current term. Jindal responded by saying that he is opposed to the pay increase but that he had pledged to let the legislature govern themselves. On June 30, 2008, Governor Jindal reversed his earlier position by vetoing the pay raise legislation, stating that he made a mistake by staying out of the pay raise issue. In response, the petitioners dropped their recall effort.
The Standard and Poor's raised Louisiana's bond rating and credit outlook from stable to positive in 2009. In announcing this change, the organization gave credit to the state’s strong management and “commitment to streamlining its government functions.” Jindal met with President Barack Obama
in October 2009 where the governor pushed for increased federal dollars to cover rising Medicaid costs, speeding the construction of hurricane-protection barriers, and financing the proposed Louisiana State University teaching hospital. During a town hall meeting, Obama praised Jindal as a "hard working man who is doing a good job" for the State, and expressed support for the Governor's overhaul of the State's educational system in the area of increased charter schools.
Louisiana state government watchdog C.B. Forgotston
, former counsel to the House Appropriations Committee who supported Jindal's election in 2007, has expressed disappointment with the governor in regard to the legislative pay raise and other fiscal issues. Forgotston, said he would grade Jindal an A+ in public relations and a D in fiscal performance in office.
Jindal negotiated an agreement whereby Foster Farms, a private chicken processor, would receive $50 million in taxpayer funds to purchase a chicken processing plant owned by bankrupt Pilgrim's Pride
. Some have argued that there is a conflict of interest in that Pilgrim's Pride founder Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim contributed $2500 to Jindal's campaign in 2007. Other contributors to Jindal's campaign who benefited from economic development spending include Albemarle and Edison Chouest Offshore. Jindal however released a statement saying that this legislation saved over 1,000 jobs, serves as a stimulus to Louisiana's economy, and had wide bipartisan support.
. He issued mandatory evacuation orders for the state’s coastal areas and activated 3,000 National Guardsman to aid in the exodus. He also ordered the state to purchase generators to provide needed power to hospitals and nursing homes without power. Government officials vacated hospitals and nursing homes and put the poor, the ill, and the elderly on buses and trains out of town. The evacuation was credited as one reason that Gustav only resulted in 16 deaths in the U.S. The state's successful response to Hurricane Gustav
was in stark contrast to the failed hurricane response system for Hurricane Katrina
in 2005. Jindal received bipartisan praise for his leadership during Gustav. Jindal had been scheduled to address the Republican National Convention, but cancelled his plans to focus on Louisiana’s needs during the storm.
On February 8, 2008, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh
mentioned on his syndicated show that Jindal could be a possible choice for the Republican vice presidential
nomination in 2008. He said that Jindal might be perceived as an asset to John McCain
's campaign because he has wide support in the conservative and moderate wings of the Republican Party and his youth offsets McCain's age. If McCain had won the presidency, he would have been the oldest president ever inaugurated to a first term. Heightening the speculation, McCain invited Jindal, Gov. Charlie Crist
of Florida
, Gov. Tim Pawlenty
of Minnesota
and McCain's former rivals Mitt Romney
and Mike Huckabee
to meet at McCain's home in Arizona
on May 23, 2008, according to a Republican familiar with the decision; Romney, Huckabee, and Pawlenty, all of whom were already well acquainted with McCain, declined because of prior commitments. The meeting may have served a different purpose, such as consideration of Jindal for the opportunity to speak at the 2008 Republican National Convention
, in a similar fashion to Barack Obama
at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
, cementing a place for him in the party and opening the gate for a future run for the presidency. Speculation was fueled by simultaneous July 21, 2008, reports that McCain was making a sudden visit to Louisiana to confer again with Jindal and that McCain was readying to name his running mate within a week. However, on July 23, 2008, Jindal said that he would not be the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008. Jindal added that he "never talked to the senator [McCain] about the vice presidency or his thoughts on selecting the vice president." Ultimately, on August 29, 2008, McCain chose then-Governor Sarah Palin
of Alaska
as his running mate. While Jindal was given a prime time speech slot at the party convention, he was not offered the keynote speech. During the presidential campaign, Jindal expressed admiration for both Senators McCain and Obama, and maintained that both have made positive contributions to the nation.
. Jindal called the president's economic stimulus plan “irresponsible” and argued against government intervention. He used Hurricane Katrina
to warn against government solutions to the economic crisis. "Today in Washington, some are promising that government will rescue us from the economic storms raging all around us," Jindal said. "Those of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina, we have our doubts." He praised the late sheriff Harry Lee for standing up to the government during Katrina. The speech met with biting reviews from some members of both the Democratic and the Republican parties. Referring to Jindal as "devoid of substantive ideas for governing the country", Democratic political commentator Rachel Maddow
summarized Jindal's Katrina remark as follows: "[Jindal states that] since government failed during Hurricane Katrina, we should understand, not that government should not be allowed to fail again, but that government...never works. That government can't work, and therefore we should stop seeking a functioning government." David Johnson, a Republican political strategist criticized Jindal's mention of Hurricane Katrina, stating "The one thing Republicans want to forget is Katrina." While Jindal's speech was poorly received by several Democratic and Republican critics, others argued that the speech should be judged on substance rather than delivery style. Some conservative commentators were among his harshest critics, with one calling his speech "a disaster for the Republican Party". CNN political analyst Candy Crowley
said that "Politicians often come back from moments such as these...there is a lot of time left for rehabilitation."
Jindal's story of meeting Lee in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was questioned following the speech, as Jindal was not in New Orleans at the time. On February 27, 2009, a spokesman for Jindal clarified the timing of the meeting, stating that the story took place days after the storm. The opportunity to give the response speech to the then very popular President Obama was compared by some commentators to winning "second prize in a beauty contest," a reference to the board game Monopoly
.
, D-Woodworth, said Jindal is a very accessible governor and that these Sunday trips provide an opportunity to reach out to the community.
of Jennings
to his education transition advisory council. He retained 23 appointees of former governor Kathleen Blanco
. One of Jindal's first high-profile appointments was former Republican State Senator Robert J. Barham
of Morehouse Parish
as secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Another term-limited representative, Joseph F. Toomy
of Gretna
in Jefferson Parish, was named to the five-member New Orleans Port Authority.
Former Republican State Representative Henry "Tank" Powell
of Ponchatoula
in Tangipahoa Parish (1996–2008) along with former Democratic Sheriff
Leonard "Pop" Hataway of Grant Parish
(1976–2008) were appointed to the influential Louisiana Board of Pardons. Democrats Sydnie Mae Durand and Chris Ullo were appointed to the state Pharmacy Board and the Crescent City Connection board, respectively. Jindal also re-appointed Democratic Community and Technical College members Michael Murphy of Bogalusa and Stephen Toups of Baton Rouge. Jindal and Speaker Jim Tucker named the Democrat James R. Fannin
of Jonesboro
as chairman of the critical House Appropriations Committee.
. On December 10, 2008, Jindal indicated that he would likely not run for president in 2012, saying he will focus on his re-election in 2011
and that this would make transitioning to a national campaign difficult, though he later attempted to leave himself open to the opportunity to change his mind in the future - he did not rule out a possible 2012 presidential bid.
Speculation increased when Republicans chose Jindal to deliver the response to President Obama's first address to a joint session of Congress.
The Jindal for President Draft Council Inc. PAC
has been formed to raise funds for a future presidential run. Jindal states that he has no involvement with the PAC.
In April 2010, while speaking at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, Jindal ruled out running for President in 2012.
Yet his frequent trips out of the state in the fall of 2010 have continued to fuel speculation about his national ambitions. In a time of severe budget crisis they also led to national news stories in October 2010 when LSU student body president J Hudson published a letter in the Keene New Hampshire newspaper while Governor Jindal was doing fundraising there. Hudson wrote,
"Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is spending more time in your state than the one he was elected to represent. I read almost daily about his trips to other states, which makes me believe that he is more interested in running for president than running the state of Louisiana."
of Lake Charles
and State Senator John Alario
of Westwego
as his choices for Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives and Louisiana Senate President
, respectively. Lawmakers customarily approve the governor's choices for the two leadership positions. Alario is a long-term Democrat who switched parties prior to the 2011 elections.
voting record according to the National Right to Life Committee
. He opposes all abortion
s without exception, but does not condemn medical procedures aimed at saving the life of the mother that indirectly result in the loss of the unborn child. In 2003, Jindal stated that he does not object to the use of emergency contraception
in the case of rape
if the victim requests it. While in the House of Representatives, he supported two bills to prohibit transporting minors across state lines to obtain an abortion; the bills aimed to prevent doctors and others from helping a minor avoid parental notification laws in their home state by procuring an abortion in another state. He opposes and has voted against expanding public funding of embryo
nic stem cell research.
. He has voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment
to restrict marriage to a union between one man and one woman. In December 2008, Jindal announced the formation of the Louisiana Commission on Marriage and Family, including individuals representing organizations that oppose same-sex marriage.
's right to bear arms. He has opposed efforts to restrict gun rights and has received an endorsement from the National Rifle Association
. Jindal earned an A rating from Gun Owners of America
while he was in Congress.
which lowered some sales taxes in exchange for higher income taxes. As governor, Jindal initially opposed reforms to the Stelly Plan that would have resulted in over $300 million in tax cuts due to budget concerns. He later agreed to the tax cut after the legislature appeared set to eliminate the entire personal income tax, which Jindal also opposed.
Since taking office, Governor Jindal has cut taxes a total of six times, including the largest income tax cut in Louisiana's history - a cut of $1.1 billion over five years, along with accelerating the elimination of the tax on business investments.
et al. He has also supported increasing GED
scholarships for state residents. Jindal has promoted performance-based initiatives for teachers and supports tax deductions for tuition and other qualified educational experiences. He has also signed legislation increasing teachers' salaries by over $1,000 per annum. The Governor led the passage of a "Teacher's Bill of Rights,” which supports teachers in keeping their classrooms a safe learning environment for children, without destructive student behavior. Governor Jindal has increased funding for the Fast Start Program and Workplace Training Rapid Response Fund which are targeted towards cultivating a positive Louisiana business environment. He has also partnered with the state's community and technology college system to promote a "Day One Guarantee" for employers, to provide additional training at no cost to graduates who do not demonstrate reasonable standards of performance on the job.
on the grounds that it is a violation of the Constitution's guarantee of free speech and vowed protection of property rights. Jindal voted to extend the PATRIOT Act, voted in favor of the Military Commissions Act of 2006
, supported a constitutional amendment
banning flag burning, and voted for the Real ID Act
of 2005. In the 2009 legislative session, Jindal expressed support for a bill by State Representative James H. "Jim" Morris
of Oil City
, which would permit motorcyclists to choose whether or not to wear a helmet. Morris' bill easily passed the House but was blocked in the
Senate Health Committee.
as a drain on the economy, as well as being unfair to those who entered the country by legal means. He has voted to build a fence along the Mexican border and opposes granting amnesty for illegal aliens.
, Governor Jindal has drafted the Louisiana Health First Initiative. This plan focuses on expanding health insurance coverage for the state's indigent population, increasing Medicaid choice, reducing fraud, authorizing funding of a new charity hospital, and increasing transparency in Medicaid by making performance measures available over the internet. Jindal supports co-payments in Medicaid
.
. As a representative in the House, he supported a $300 million bill to fund Louisiana coastal restoration. In addition, he was the chief sponsor of successful legislation to expand the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park by over 3000 acres (12.1 km²). Jindal has pledged state support for the development of economically friendly cars in northeastern Louisiana in conjunction with alternative energy advocate T. Boone Pickens. Jindal voted to censure a website which promoted the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
funding at nearly $97 million (however in over 99% of these requests, Jindal was a co-sponsor and not the primary initiator of the earmark legislation). $5 million of Jindal's earmark requests were for state defense and indigent healthcare related expenditures, another $50 million was for increasing the safety of Louisiana's waterways and levees after breaches following Hurricane Katrina
, and the remainder was targeted towards coastal restoration and alternative energy research. As Governor in 2008, Jindal used his line item veto to strike $16 million in earmarks from the state budget but declined to veto $30 million in legislator-added spending. Jindal vetoed over 250 earmarks in the 2008 state budget, twice the total number of such vetoes by previous governors in the preceding twelve years.
. The law forbids "the promotion of any religious doctrine and will not discriminate against religion or non-religion." Louisiana ACLU Director Marjorie Esman says that if the act is utilized as written, it is on firm constitutional footing, but there is strong potential for abuse, stating that the Act is "susceptible to a constitutional challenge." Despite calls for a veto
from groups such as National Review
, and some of Jindal's genetics professors at Brown University
, Jindal signed the Louisiana Academic Freedom Act which passed with a vote of 94-3 in the State House and 35-0 in the State Senate in 2008. As a result of this, the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
rejected New Orleans as a site for their 2010 meeting and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will not conduct future meetings in Louisiana.
on the basis that it is not accompanied by revenue increases and that it will further exacerbate the burgeoning national debt. Citing concerns that the augmentation of unemployment insurance may obligate the state to raise taxes on
businesses, Jindal had indicated his intention to forgo federal stimulus plan funds ($98 million) aimed at increasing unemployment insurance for Louisiana. Louisiana has since been obligated to raise taxes on businesses because the unemployment trust fund had dropped below the prescribed threshold. Louisiana was set to receive about $3.8 billion overall. Jindal intends to accept at least $2.4 billion from the stimulus package. He called parts of the plan "irresponsible", saying that "the way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians."
household, but converted to Christianity while in high school
. During his first year at Brown University
, he was received into the Catholic Church. His family attends weekly Mass at Saint Aloysius Parish in Baton Rouge.
Jindal's father, Amar Jindal, received a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering
from Guru Nanak Dev University
. Jindal's mother, Raj (Pal) Jindal, is an information technology
director for the Louisiana Workforce Commission (formerly the Louisiana Department of Labor) and served as Assistant Secretary to former State Labor Secretary Garey Forster
during the administration of Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
Prior to immigrating to the United States, both his parents were lecturers at an Indian engineering college. According to Jindal, his mother was already four months pregnant with him when they arrived from India.
Jindal has a younger brother, Nikesh, who is a registered Republican and supported his brother's campaign for Governor. Nikesh went to Dartmouth College
and then Yale Law School
, where he graduated with honors. He is now a lawyer
in Washington, D. C..
Jindal's nickname
dates to his childhood identification with a sitcom character. He has said, "Every day after school, I'd come home and I'd watch The Brady Bunch
. And I identified with Bobby, you know? He was about my age, and 'Bobby' stuck." He has been known by his nickname ever since, though his legal name remains Piyush Jindal.
In 1997, Jindal married Supriya Jolly who was born in New Delhi
, India
and moved to Baton Rouge with her parents when she was four years old. They attended the same high school, but Supriya's family moved from Baton Rouge to New Orleans after her freshman year and they did not begin dating until later, when Jindal invited her to a Mardi Gras party after another friend had canceled. Supriya Jindal earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and an M.B.A. degree from Tulane University
. She will receive a Ph.D.
in marketing at Louisiana State University
when she successfully completes her dissertation. She created The Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana's Children, a non-profit organization aimed at improving math and science education in grade schools. They have three children: Selia Elizabeth, Shaan Robert, and Slade Ryan. Shaan was born with a congenital heart defect and had surgery as an infant. The Jindals have been outspoken advocates for children with congenital defects, particularly those without insurance. In 2006, Jindal and his wife delivered their third child at home. Barely able to call 911 before the delivery, Jindal received medical coaching by phone to deliver their eight-pound, 2.5-ounce boy.
, Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Association, and Hospital Outlook.
Jindal’s pre-2001 writings include several articles in the New Oxford Review
, one of which later made news during his 2003 gubernatorial race. In that 1994 article titled "Physical Dimensions of Spiritual Warfare", Jindal described the events leading up to an apparent exorcism of a friend and how he felt unable to help her at the time. However, Jindal questioned if what he saw was actually an example of "spiritual warfare".
In November 2010, Jindal published the book Leadership and Crisis, a semi-autobiography significantly influenced by the Governor's experiences with the most recent Gulf Oil Spill.
U. S. Representative, 1st Congressional District, 2004
U. S. Representative, 1st Congressional District, 2006
Governor of Louisiana, 2007
Governor of Louisiana, 2011
Congress
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. He is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
On October 20, 2007, Jindal was elected governor of Louisiana, winning a four-way race with 54.2% of the vote. At age 36, Jindal became the youngest serving governor in the United States. However, on January 12, 2011, he became the second-youngest current U.S. governor, after Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley
Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley is the 116th and current Governor of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, Haley represented Lexington County in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2010....
of South Carolina. He is the first Indian-American governor in the country In 2008, Governor Jindal was ranked one of the nation's most popular governors with an approval rating of 77%.
Before Jindal was elected governor, he was a member of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
for Louisiana's 1st congressional district
Louisiana's 1st congressional district
Louisiana's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district comprises mostly land on the North Shore and South Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, although it also contains areas west of Lake Pontchartrain. The district includes some or all of the...
, elected in 2004. Jindal was re-elected to the House in the 2006 election
Louisiana House elections, 2006
The first round of the Louisiana House election of 2006 were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. The terms of all seven Representatives to the United States House of Representatives will expire on January 3, 2007, and will be put up for contest. The winning candidates will serve a two-year term from...
with 88% of the vote. He was the second Indian-American elected to Congress.
On October 22, 2011, Jindal was elected to a second term as governor, polling nearly 66 percent of the vote.
Early life, education, and business career
Jindal was born in Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, to Amar and Raj Jindal, who came to the United States as immigrants from Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, six months before he was born. Jindal attended Baton Rouge Magnet High School
Baton Rouge Magnet High School
Baton Rouge Magnet High School is a magnet school in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was founded in the early 1890s. The current school building was built in 1928, and, as Baton Rouge High School, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986...
, graduating in 1988. He competed in tennis tournaments, started a computer newsletter, a retail candy business, and a mail-order software company. He spent his free time working at the concession stands during LSU football games. Jindal was one of 50 students nationwide admitted to the elite PLME program at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, guaranteeing him a place in medical school. He was interested in public policy. Jindal also completed a second major in biology. He graduated in 1991 at the age of 20, with honors in both majors.
Jindal was named a member of the 1992 USA Today All-USA Academic Team. He was accepted by both Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
and Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, but studied at New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, as a Rhodes Scholar
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
. He received an M.Litt. degree
Master of Letters
The Master of Letters is a postgraduate degree.- United Kingdom :The MLitt is a postgraduate degree awarded by a select few British and Irish universities, predominantly within the ancient English and Scottish universities.- England :Within the English University system MLitts are not universally...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
with an emphasis in health policy from the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 1994 for his thesis "A needs-based approach to health care". He turned down an offer to study for a D.Phil. in politics, instead joining the consulting firm McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
.
Early political career
In 1993 U.S. Representative Jim McCreryJim McCrery
James Otis "Jim" McCrery, III , is an American lawyer who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1988 to 2009; he represented the 4th District of Louisiana, based in the northwestern quadrant of the state.McCrery was a ranking member on the House Ways and...
(whom Jindal had worked for as a summer intern) introduced him to Governor Mike Foster. In 1996 Foster appointed Jindal as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is a state agency of Louisiana, headquartered in Baton Rouge. The agency oversees the health of the population.-External links:*...
, an agency that represented about 40 percent of the state budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
and employed over 12,000 people. Jindal was the youngest ever Secretary of the DHH at 25. During his tenure, Louisiana's Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
program went from bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
with a $400 million deficit into three years of surplus
Economic surplus
In mainstream economics, economic surplus refers to two related quantities. Consumer surplus or consumers' surplus is the monetary gain obtained by consumers because they are able to purchase a product for a price that is less than the highest price that they would be willing to pay...
es totaling $220 million. Jindal was criticized during the 2007 campaign by the Louisiana AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
for closing some local clinics to reach that surplus. Under Jindal's term, Louisiana nationally rose to third place in child healthcare screenings, with child immunizations rising, and introduced new and expanded services for the elderly and the disabled. In 1998, Jindal was appointed executive director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare, a 17-member panel charged with devising plans to reform Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
.
In 1999, at the request of the Louisiana Governor's Office and the Louisiana State Legislature
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
, Jindal volunteered his time to study how Louisiana might use its $4.4 billion share of the tobacco settlement. In that same year, at only 28 years of age, Jindal was appointed to become the youngest-ever president of the University of Louisiana System
University of Louisiana System
The University of Louisiana System is one of four public university systems in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its headquarters are in the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge.-History and diversification:...
, the nation's 16th largest system of higher education with over 80,000 students per year. In March 2001 he was nominated by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to be Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation
United States Department of Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
. He was later unanimously confirmed by a vote of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and began serving on July 9, 2001. In that position, he served as the principal policy advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. He resigned from that post on February 21, 2003, to return to Louisiana and run for governor.
2003 campaign for Governor
Jindal came to national prominence during the 2003 electionLouisiana gubernatorial election, 2003
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 2003 resulted in the election of Kathleen Babineaux Blanco as governor of Louisiana.- Background :Elections in Louisiana—with the exception of U.S. presidential elections—follow a variation of the open primary system called the jungle primary...
for Louisiana governor.
In what Louisianans call an "open primary
Open primary
An open primary is a primary election that does not require voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote for partisan candidates. In a traditional open primary, voters may select one party's ballot and vote for that party's nomination. As in a closed primary, the highest voted...
" (but which is technically a nonpartisan blanket primary), Jindal finished first with 33 percent of the vote. He received endorsements from the largest paper in Louisiana, the New Orleans' Times-Picayune; the newly elected Democratic mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin
Ray Nagin
Clarence Ray Nagin, Jr. is a former mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Nagin gained international note in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the New Orleans area....
; and the outgoing Republican governor, Mike Foster
Murphy J. Foster, Jr.
Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. served as 53rd Governor of Louisiana from January 1996 until January 2004. Foster's father was Murphy J. Foster, Jr., but Mike Foster uses "Jr." even though he is technically Murphy J. Foster, III. Foster is a businessman, landowner, and sportsman in St...
. In the second balloting, Jindal faced the outgoing lieutenant governor, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, a Democrat. Despite winning in Blanco's hometown, he lost many normally conservative parishes in north Louisiana, and Blanco prevailed with 52 percent of the popular vote.
Political analysts have speculated on myriad explanations for his loss. Some have blamed Jindal for his refusal to answer questions targeted at his religion and ethnic background brought up in several Democratic advertisements, which the Jindal Campaign called "negative attack ads." Others note that a significant number of conservative Louisianans remain more comfortable voting for a conservative Democrat, than for a Republican. Still others maintain that his defeat in typically conservative parishes in the northern portion of the state as evidence of racial prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
against the Indian-American Jindal.
Despite his losing the election in 2003, the run for governor made Jindal a well-known figure on the state's political scene and a rising star within the Republican party.
U.S. House of Representatives
Louisiana's 1st congressional district
Louisiana's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district comprises mostly land on the North Shore and South Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, although it also contains areas west of Lake Pontchartrain. The district includes some or all of the...
. The incumbent, David Vitter
David Vitter
David Vitter is the junior United States Senator from Louisiana and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the suburban Louisiana's 1st congressional district. He served as a member of the Louisiana House of...
, was running for the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seat being vacated by John Breaux
John Breaux
John Berlinger Breaux is a former United States senator from Louisiana who served from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987. He was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party...
. The Louisiana Republican Party endorsed him in the primary although Mike Rogers, also a Republican, was running for the same seat. The 1st District has been in Republican hands since a 1977 special election and is widely considered to be staunchly conservative. Jindal also had an advantage because his campaign was able to raise over $1 million very early in the campaign, making it harder for other candidates to effectively raise funds to oppose him. He won the 2004 Election with 78 percent of the vote. Jindal secured reelection in 2006 with 88 percent of the vote.
He was appointed to the House Committee on Homeland Security
United States House Committee on Homeland Security
The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. Its responsibilities include U.S...
, the House Committee on Resources
United States House Committee on Resources
The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, or Natural Resources Committee is a Congressional committee of the United States House of Representatives. Originally called the "Committee on Interior & Insular Affairs," the name was changed to the Natural Resources Committee in 1993...
, and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce
United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce
The Committee on Education and the Workforce is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. From 1947 until 1994 and again from 2007 to 2011, during Democratic control of the House, it was known as the Committee on Education and Labor.-History of the Committee:Attempts were...
. He was made Vice-Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attacks. Jindal served as President of the incoming Freshman class of congressmen in 2004. He was elected to the position of House Assistant Majority Whip, a senior leadership role; he served in this capacity from 2004-2006.
2007 campaign for Governor
On January 22, 2007, Jindal announced his candidacy for governor. Polling data showed him with an early lead in the race, and he remained the favorite throughout the campaign. He defeated eleven opponents in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, including two prominent DemocratsDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, State Senator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Walter Boasso
Walter Boasso
Walter Joseph Boasso is a wealthy businessman and former Democratic state senator from Chalmette, the seat of St. Bernard Parish in south Louisiana. He was defeated in a bid for governor in the October 20, 2007, jungle primary. Boasso won 47 percent in his own St. Bernard Parish, his sole...
of Chalmette
Chalmette, Louisiana
Chalmette is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 32,069 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
er Foster Campbell
Foster Campbell
Foster L. Campbell, Jr. , is a Democratic member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, a former 26-year member of the Louisiana State Senate, and an unsuccessful candidate for governor in the October 20, 2007, jungle primary. Campbell polled 161,425 votes and won two parishes: Red River and...
of Bossier City
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
, and an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, New Orleans business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
man John Georges
John Georges
John Georges is a New Orleans, Louisiana, businessman who formerly served on the Louisiana Board of Regents, the body which supervises higher education in his native state....
.
Jindal finished with 699,672 votes (54 percent). Boasso ran second with 226,364 votes (17 percent). Georges finished with 186,800 (14 percent), and Campbell, who is also a former state senator, ran fourth with 161,425 (12 percent). The remaining candidates collectively polled three percent of the vote. Jindal polled pluralities or majorities
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
in 60 of the state's 64 parishes (equivalent to counties in other states). He lost narrowly to Georges in Orleans Parish, to Boasso in St. Bernard Parish (which Boasso represented in the Legislature), and in the two neighboring north Louisiana parishes of Red River and Bienville located south of Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, both of which are historically Democratic and supported Campbell. In the 2003 contest with Blanco, Jindal had lost most of the northern parishes. This marked the first time that a non-incumbent candidate for governor was elected without a runoff under the Louisiana election system.
First term
As governor-elect Jindal named a new ethics team, with Democratic ShreveportShreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
woman Virginia Kilpatrick Shehee
Virginia Shehee
Virginia Kilpatrick Shehee is a Shreveport businesswoman and civic leader and the first female state senator from District 38. She won her seat in the 1975 general election by 23 votes over incumbent Cecil K. Carter, Jr. and served a single term until 1980. She was defeated in 1979 by fellow...
, the first woman to have served in the state senate, as the vice chairman of the panel. Jindal assumed the position of governor when he took the oath of office
Oath of office
An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before undertaking the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations...
on January 14, 2008. At thirty-six, he became the youngest sitting governor in the United States. He is also Louisiana's first non-white governor since P. B. S. Pinchback
P. B. S. Pinchback
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback was the first non-white and first person of African American descent to become governor of a U.S. state...
served for thirty-five days during Reconstruction, and the first non-white governor to be elected (Pinchback succeeded to the position of Lieutenant Governor on the death of Oscar Dunn
Oscar Dunn
Oscar James Dunn was one of three African Americans who served as a Republican lieutenant governor of Louisiana during the era of Reconstruction....
, then to Governor upon the impeachment of Henry Clay Warmoth).
In a salute to the 2007 LSU Tigers football
2007 LSU Tigers football team
The 2007 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning the Southeastern Conference championship and the national championship. The team's Head Coach was Les Miles who entered his third year at the helm of LSU Football...
national championship team during his January 14, 2008 inauguration speech, Jindal stated in part "...They revere our athletes. Go Tigers...."
On May 3, 2008 a special election
Louisiana's 1st congressional district special election, 2008
Voters in voting in a special election on May 3, 2008, elected Steve Scalise as a new member of the United States House of Representatives, replacing Representative Bobby Jindal who resigned on January 14, 2008, to become Governor of Louisiana....
was held to determine Jindal's replacement in the 1st Congressional District. Steve Scalise
Steve Scalise
Stephen Joseph "Steve" Scalise is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2008. He is a member of the Republican Party...
, a state legislator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
, was elected with 75 percent of the vote over University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
professor Dr. Gilda Reed.
On June 27, 2008, Louisiana's Secretary of State confirmed that a recall petition had been filed against Governor Jindal in response to Jindal's refusal to veto a bill that would more than double the current state legislative pay. During his campaign for Governor, Jindal had pledged to prevent legislative pay raises that would take effect during the current term. Jindal responded by saying that he is opposed to the pay increase but that he had pledged to let the legislature govern themselves. On June 30, 2008, Governor Jindal reversed his earlier position by vetoing the pay raise legislation, stating that he made a mistake by staying out of the pay raise issue. In response, the petitioners dropped their recall effort.
The Standard and Poor's raised Louisiana's bond rating and credit outlook from stable to positive in 2009. In announcing this change, the organization gave credit to the state’s strong management and “commitment to streamlining its government functions.” Jindal met with President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in October 2009 where the governor pushed for increased federal dollars to cover rising Medicaid costs, speeding the construction of hurricane-protection barriers, and financing the proposed Louisiana State University teaching hospital. During a town hall meeting, Obama praised Jindal as a "hard working man who is doing a good job" for the State, and expressed support for the Governor's overhaul of the State's educational system in the area of increased charter schools.
Louisiana state government watchdog C.B. Forgotston
C.B. Forgotston
Charlton Bath Forgotston, Jr., known as C.B. Forgotston , is an attorney, political pundit, and state government watchdog who resides in Hammond, the principal city of Tangipahoa Parish, a part of the Florida Parishes east of Baton Rouge in southeastern Louisiana...
, former counsel to the House Appropriations Committee who supported Jindal's election in 2007, has expressed disappointment with the governor in regard to the legislative pay raise and other fiscal issues. Forgotston, said he would grade Jindal an A+ in public relations and a D in fiscal performance in office.
Jindal negotiated an agreement whereby Foster Farms, a private chicken processor, would receive $50 million in taxpayer funds to purchase a chicken processing plant owned by bankrupt Pilgrim's Pride
Pilgrim's Pride
Pilgrim's Corp., previously Pilgrim's Pride , is a former U.S.-owned company with its U.S. headquarters relocated to Greeley, Colorado. As a subsidiary of the Brazilian food giant, JBS, it is the largest chicken producer in the United States and Puerto Rico and the second-largest chicken producer...
. Some have argued that there is a conflict of interest in that Pilgrim's Pride founder Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim contributed $2500 to Jindal's campaign in 2007. Other contributors to Jindal's campaign who benefited from economic development spending include Albemarle and Edison Chouest Offshore. Jindal however released a statement saying that this legislation saved over 1,000 jobs, serves as a stimulus to Louisiana's economy, and had wide bipartisan support.
Hurricane Gustav
Jindal oversaw one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history (nearly two million people) in late August 2008 prior to the Louisiana landfall of Hurricane GustavHurricane Gustav
The name Gustav has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean:* 1984's Tropical Storm Gustav - Spent most of its existence as a tropical depression hovering over Bermuda, no major damage was reported....
. He issued mandatory evacuation orders for the state’s coastal areas and activated 3,000 National Guardsman to aid in the exodus. He also ordered the state to purchase generators to provide needed power to hospitals and nursing homes without power. Government officials vacated hospitals and nursing homes and put the poor, the ill, and the elderly on buses and trains out of town. The evacuation was credited as one reason that Gustav only resulted in 16 deaths in the U.S. The state's successful response to Hurricane Gustav
Hurricane Gustav
The name Gustav has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean:* 1984's Tropical Storm Gustav - Spent most of its existence as a tropical depression hovering over Bermuda, no major damage was reported....
was in stark contrast to the failed hurricane response system for Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in 2005. Jindal received bipartisan praise for his leadership during Gustav. Jindal had been scheduled to address the Republican National Convention, but cancelled his plans to focus on Louisiana’s needs during the storm.
Speculation over vice presidential nomination
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
mentioned on his syndicated show that Jindal could be a possible choice for the Republican vice presidential
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
nomination in 2008. He said that Jindal might be perceived as an asset to John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
's campaign because he has wide support in the conservative and moderate wings of the Republican Party and his youth offsets McCain's age. If McCain had won the presidency, he would have been the oldest president ever inaugurated to a first term. Heightening the speculation, McCain invited Jindal, Gov. Charlie Crist
Charlie Crist
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General...
of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Gov. Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and McCain's former rivals Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
and Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
to meet at McCain's home in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
on May 23, 2008, according to a Republican familiar with the decision; Romney, Huckabee, and Pawlenty, all of whom were already well acquainted with McCain, declined because of prior commitments. The meeting may have served a different purpose, such as consideration of Jindal for the opportunity to speak at the 2008 Republican National Convention
2008 Republican National Convention
The United States 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008...
, in a similar fashion to Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention
The 2004 Democratic National Convention convened from July 26 to July 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts, and nominated John Kerry and John Edwards as the official candidates of the Democratic Party for President and Vice President of the United States, respectively, in the 2004...
, cementing a place for him in the party and opening the gate for a future run for the presidency. Speculation was fueled by simultaneous July 21, 2008, reports that McCain was making a sudden visit to Louisiana to confer again with Jindal and that McCain was readying to name his running mate within a week. However, on July 23, 2008, Jindal said that he would not be the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008. Jindal added that he "never talked to the senator [McCain] about the vice presidency or his thoughts on selecting the vice president." Ultimately, on August 29, 2008, McCain chose then-Governor Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
as his running mate. While Jindal was given a prime time speech slot at the party convention, he was not offered the keynote speech. During the presidential campaign, Jindal expressed admiration for both Senators McCain and Obama, and maintained that both have made positive contributions to the nation.
Republican response to President Obama's address to Congress
On February 24, 2009, Jindal delivered the official Republican response to President Obama's address to a joint session of CongressBarack Obama speech to joint session of Congress, 2009
United States President Barack Obama delivered a speech to a joint session of the 111th United States Congress on February 24, 2009. It was not an official State of the Union address. Obama's first State of the Union Address was the 2010 State of the Union Address...
. Jindal called the president's economic stimulus plan “irresponsible” and argued against government intervention. He used Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
to warn against government solutions to the economic crisis. "Today in Washington, some are promising that government will rescue us from the economic storms raging all around us," Jindal said. "Those of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina, we have our doubts." He praised the late sheriff Harry Lee for standing up to the government during Katrina. The speech met with biting reviews from some members of both the Democratic and the Republican parties. Referring to Jindal as "devoid of substantive ideas for governing the country", Democratic political commentator Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow
Rachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
summarized Jindal's Katrina remark as follows: "[Jindal states that] since government failed during Hurricane Katrina, we should understand, not that government should not be allowed to fail again, but that government...never works. That government can't work, and therefore we should stop seeking a functioning government." David Johnson, a Republican political strategist criticized Jindal's mention of Hurricane Katrina, stating "The one thing Republicans want to forget is Katrina." While Jindal's speech was poorly received by several Democratic and Republican critics, others argued that the speech should be judged on substance rather than delivery style. Some conservative commentators were among his harshest critics, with one calling his speech "a disaster for the Republican Party". CNN political analyst Candy Crowley
Candy Crowley
Candy Alt Crowley is a CNN anchor and Chief Political Correspondent, specializing in U.S. presidential, gubernatorial, and Senate elections. She is based in CNN's Washington bureau, and hosted Inside Politics in place of Judy Woodruff before the show was replaced with The Situation Room. Crowley...
said that "Politicians often come back from moments such as these...there is a lot of time left for rehabilitation."
Jindal's story of meeting Lee in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was questioned following the speech, as Jindal was not in New Orleans at the time. On February 27, 2009, a spokesman for Jindal clarified the timing of the meeting, stating that the story took place days after the storm. The opportunity to give the response speech to the then very popular President Obama was compared by some commentators to winning "second prize in a beauty contest," a reference to the board game Monopoly
Monopoly (game)
Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
.
Use of state helicopters
In mid-2009, The Advocate, a Baton Rouge newspaper, reviewed records obtained through a public information request and reported that between March 2, 2009 and July 20, 2009, Jindal had used state helicopters and State Police pilots to travel to various parts of the state to attend church services and meet with community officials. In total, 14 trips were taken with a cost of $1,200 per hour to operate – about $45,000 in total. Jindal stated the Sunday services were not political, and he was invited to meet with rural worshipers. He said that these events are valuable to "hear what the people have to say". After the services, Jindal scheduled meetings with local officials who showed him schools, roads, and factories and shared with him their concerns. State Sen. Joe McPhersonJoe McPherson
William Joseph "Joe" McPherson, Jr., is a retiring veteran Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from Woodworth, a small community south of Alexandria, Louisiana, the seat of government of Rapides Parish and the largest city in the Central Louisiana region...
, D-Woodworth, said Jindal is a very accessible governor and that these Sunday trips provide an opportunity to reach out to the community.
Jindal appointments
Governor Jindal appointed both Democrats and Republicans to prominent state posts. He named outgoing Republican State Senator Gerald TheunissenGerald Theunissen
Gerald Joseph Theunissen, or Jerry Theunissen , is the vice president of Jeff Davis Bank in Jennings, Louisiana, USA, and served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 37 and as the state senator from District 25...
of Jennings
Jennings, Louisiana
Jennings is a small city in and the parish seat of Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States, near Lake Charles. The population was 10,986 at the 2000 census....
to his education transition advisory council. He retained 23 appointees of former governor Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....
. One of Jindal's first high-profile appointments was former Republican State Senator Robert J. Barham
Robert J. Barham
Robert Jocelyn Barham is a large-scale farmer from Morehouse Parish who has been appointed by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as the secretary of the state's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries...
of Morehouse Parish
Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
Morehouse Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Bastrop. In 2000, the parish population was 31,021....
as secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Another term-limited representative, Joseph F. Toomy
Joseph F. Toomy
Joseph Francis Toomy, known as Joe Toomy , is a self-employed insurance broker from Gretna, the seat of Jeffersons Parish, Louisiana, who served as the District 85 member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1984 until term-limited in 2008. Toomy was a Democrat from 1984–1990, when he...
of Gretna
Gretna, Louisiana
The city of Gretna is the parish seat of Jefferson Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. Gretna is on the west bank of the Mississippi River, just east and across the river from uptown New Orleans. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in Jefferson Parish, was named to the five-member New Orleans Port Authority.
Former Republican State Representative Henry "Tank" Powell
Henry "Tank" Powell
Henry Watson Powell, known as Henry "Tank" Powell , is an insurance agent in Ponchatoula in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, who served as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 73 from 1996 until term-limited in 2008...
of Ponchatoula
Ponchatoula, Louisiana
Ponchatoula is a city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,180 at the 2000 census. Ponchatoula calls itself the "Strawberry Capital of the World". It is part of the Hammond Micropolitan Statistical Area. The current mayor is Bob Zabbia.-Geography:Ponchatoula is...
in Tangipahoa Parish (1996–2008) along with former Democratic Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Leonard "Pop" Hataway of Grant Parish
Grant Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,698 people, 7,073 households, and 5,276 families residing in the parish. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 8,531 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
(1976–2008) were appointed to the influential Louisiana Board of Pardons. Democrats Sydnie Mae Durand and Chris Ullo were appointed to the state Pharmacy Board and the Crescent City Connection board, respectively. Jindal also re-appointed Democratic Community and Technical College members Michael Murphy of Bogalusa and Stephen Toups of Baton Rouge. Jindal and Speaker Jim Tucker named the Democrat James R. Fannin
James R. Fannin
James Roy Fannin , known as Jim Fannin, is the Democratic chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the Louisiana House of Representatives. He is a former educator and active businessman in Jonesboro, the seat of Jackson Parish in north Louisiana, In 2003, Fannin was elected to represent House...
of Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Louisiana
Jonesboro is a town in and the parish seat of Jackson Parish in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 3,914 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
as chairman of the critical House Appropriations Committee.
Speculations about political future
Jindal has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the 2012 presidential electionUnited States presidential election, 2012
The United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...
. On December 10, 2008, Jindal indicated that he would likely not run for president in 2012, saying he will focus on his re-election in 2011
Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2011
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 2011 was held on October 22 with 10 candidates competing in a nonpartisan blanket primary. The incumbent, Bobby Jindal, was elected to a second term as governor of Louisiana...
and that this would make transitioning to a national campaign difficult, though he later attempted to leave himself open to the opportunity to change his mind in the future - he did not rule out a possible 2012 presidential bid.
Speculation increased when Republicans chose Jindal to deliver the response to President Obama's first address to a joint session of Congress.
The Jindal for President Draft Council Inc. PAC
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
has been formed to raise funds for a future presidential run. Jindal states that he has no involvement with the PAC.
In April 2010, while speaking at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, Jindal ruled out running for President in 2012.
Yet his frequent trips out of the state in the fall of 2010 have continued to fuel speculation about his national ambitions. In a time of severe budget crisis they also led to national news stories in October 2010 when LSU student body president J Hudson published a letter in the Keene New Hampshire newspaper while Governor Jindal was doing fundraising there. Hudson wrote,
"Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is spending more time in your state than the one he was elected to represent. I read almost daily about his trips to other states, which makes me believe that he is more interested in running for president than running the state of Louisiana."
2011 re-election campaign
Jindal ran against four Democrats, a Libertarian and four independents. Jindal received 66% of the vote in the first round, thereby winning election in the first round.Second term
Preparing for his second term in January 2012, Jindal on October 25, 2011, tapped Republican State Representative Chuck KleckleyChuck Kleckley
Charles Edward Kleckley, known as Chuck Kleckey , is a businessman in Lake Charles, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 36 in southwestern Calcasieu Parish....
of Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
and State Senator John Alario
John Alario
John A. Alario, Jr. , is an American businessman from Westwego in Jefferson Parish in the New Orleans suburbs, who is the dean of the Louisiana State Legislature, having served consecutively in the law-making body since 1972. He was the District 83 member of the Louisiana House of Representatives...
of Westwego
Westwego, Louisiana
Westwego is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 10,763 at the 2000 census. It lies along the west bank of the Mississippi River.-Geography:...
as his choices for Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives and Louisiana Senate President
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
, respectively. Lawmakers customarily approve the governor's choices for the two leadership positions. Alario is a long-term Democrat who switched parties prior to the 2011 elections.
Abortion and stem cell research
Jindal has a 100% pro-lifePro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
voting record according to the National Right to Life Committee
National Right to Life Committee
The National Right to Life Committee is the oldest and largest pro-life organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters nationwide. The group works through legislation and education to work against abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and assisted...
. He opposes all abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
s without exception, but does not condemn medical procedures aimed at saving the life of the mother that indirectly result in the loss of the unborn child. In 2003, Jindal stated that he does not object to the use of emergency contraception
Emergency contraception
Emergency contraception , or emergency postcoital contraception, refers to birth control measures that, if taken after sexual intercourse, may prevent pregnancy.Forms of EC include:...
in the case of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
if the victim requests it. While in the House of Representatives, he supported two bills to prohibit transporting minors across state lines to obtain an abortion; the bills aimed to prevent doctors and others from helping a minor avoid parental notification laws in their home state by procuring an abortion in another state. He opposes and has voted against expanding public funding of embryo
Embryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
nic stem cell research.
Same-sex marriage
Jindal opposes the legalization of same-sex marriageSame-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. He has voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment
Federal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
to restrict marriage to a union between one man and one woman. In December 2008, Jindal announced the formation of the Louisiana Commission on Marriage and Family, including individuals representing organizations that oppose same-sex marriage.
Government ethics and corruption
Governor Jindal has voted to mandate lobbyist disclosure of bundled donations and has supported legislation to protect whistleblowers from employer recrimination. He has vetoed state legislation to increase pay for state legislators. Governor Jindal has voted to restrict no-bid defense contracts in the military. He has signed legislation requiring financial disclosure for officials, prohibiting conflicts of interests, closing loopholes on free tickets, ending lobbyist-funded lavish meals, and the establishment of the Inspector General Office as an independent body to root out corruption in government. The Louisiana Governor's office has been ranked last for transparency in the United States both prior to Jindal's election and since, as reported by the WDSU I-Team. Some legislators attribute the current ranking to legislation removing the governor's records from the public domain. State Representatives Walker Hines and Neil Abramson say the legislation was surreptitiously inserted as a last-minute amendment into an education bill by Jindal's office on the last day of the 2008 session, providing no time to properly review it before it passed the legislature and was signed into law by Jindal.Second Amendment rights
Jindal has stated his support of the Second AmendmentSecond Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...
's right to bear arms. He has opposed efforts to restrict gun rights and has received an endorsement from the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
. Jindal earned an A rating from Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America is a gun rights organization in the United States with over 300,000 members. They make efforts to differentiate themselves from the larger National Rifle Association , and have publicly criticized the NRA on multiple occasions for what the GOA considers to be the selling out...
while he was in Congress.
Tax policy
As a private citizen, Jindal voted in 2002 for the Louisiana constitutional amendment known as the Stelly PlanStelly Plan
The Stelly Plan is a since repealed 2002 tax measure in the U.S. state of Louisiana designed to shift certain state sales taxes on food for home consumption and utilities to increases in state income taxes. Narrowly approved by voters, the proposal soon ran into criticism as middle-class taxpayers...
which lowered some sales taxes in exchange for higher income taxes. As governor, Jindal initially opposed reforms to the Stelly Plan that would have resulted in over $300 million in tax cuts due to budget concerns. He later agreed to the tax cut after the legislature appeared set to eliminate the entire personal income tax, which Jindal also opposed.
Since taking office, Governor Jindal has cut taxes a total of six times, including the largest income tax cut in Louisiana's history - a cut of $1.1 billion over five years, along with accelerating the elimination of the tax on business investments.
Education
Jindal has proposed budgets that impose cuts on higher education funding in Louisiana, leading to protests from students and education advocates. Jindal has promoted private-parochial scholarships as part of a statewide bid to increase educational access and choice. He has signed into law a $10 million scholarship fund to increase educational opportunities for inner city students; in addition, he has increased the number of charter schools in the state from 42 to over 100, which has drawn praise from President Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
et al. He has also supported increasing GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
scholarships for state residents. Jindal has promoted performance-based initiatives for teachers and supports tax deductions for tuition and other qualified educational experiences. He has also signed legislation increasing teachers' salaries by over $1,000 per annum. The Governor led the passage of a "Teacher's Bill of Rights,” which supports teachers in keeping their classrooms a safe learning environment for children, without destructive student behavior. Governor Jindal has increased funding for the Fast Start Program and Workplace Training Rapid Response Fund which are targeted towards cultivating a positive Louisiana business environment. He has also partnered with the state's community and technology college system to promote a "Day One Guarantee" for employers, to provide additional training at no cost to graduates who do not demonstrate reasonable standards of performance on the job.
Civil liberties
Jindal opposes race-based social entitlements, and has voted against distributing race-based college grants. He also opposes the Fairness DoctrineFairness Doctrine
The Fairness Doctrine was a policy of the United States Federal Communications Commission , introduced in 1949, that required the holders of broadcast licenses to both present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was, in the Commission's view, honest, equitable...
on the grounds that it is a violation of the Constitution's guarantee of free speech and vowed protection of property rights. Jindal voted to extend the PATRIOT Act, voted in favor of the Military Commissions Act of 2006
Military Commissions Act of 2006
The United States Military Commissions Act of 2006, also known as HR-6166, was an Act of Congress signed by President George W. Bush on October 17, 2006. Drafted in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision on Hamdan v...
, supported a constitutional amendment
Flag Desecration Amendment
The Flag Desecration Amendment, often referred to as the flag burning amendment, is a controversial proposed constitutional amendment to the United States Constitution that would allow the United States Congress to statutorily prohibit expression of political views through the physical desecration...
banning flag burning, and voted for the Real ID Act
REAL ID Act
The REAL ID Act of 2005, , was an Act of Congress that modified U.S. federal law pertaining to security, authentication, and issuance procedures standards for the state driver's licenses and identification cards, as well as various immigration issues pertaining to terrorism.The law set forth...
of 2005. In the 2009 legislative session, Jindal expressed support for a bill by State Representative James H. "Jim" Morris
Jim Morris (Louisiana politician)
James Hollis Morris, known as Jim Morris is a businessman from Oil City in northern Caddo Parish, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. His District 1 encompasses the northern portions of both Caddo and neighboring Bossier Parish...
of Oil City
Oil City, Louisiana
Oil City is a town in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,219 at the 2000 census. Oil City is located on Louisiana Highway 1 north of Caddo Lake...
, which would permit motorcyclists to choose whether or not to wear a helmet. Morris' bill easily passed the House but was blocked in the
Senate Health Committee.
Illegal immigration
As a son of immigrants, Jindal has stated that legal immigration brings many benefits to the United States. He has, however, criticized illegal immigrationIllegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
as a drain on the economy, as well as being unfair to those who entered the country by legal means. He has voted to build a fence along the Mexican border and opposes granting amnesty for illegal aliens.
Health care
Jindal supports increased health insurance portability, laws promoting coverage of pre-existing medical conditions, a cap on malpractice lawsuits, an easing of restrictions on importation of prescription medications, the implementation of a streamlined electronic medical records system, an emphasis on preventative care rather than emergency room care, and tax benefits aimed at making health insurance more affordable for the uninsured and targeted to promote universal access. Since Governor Jindal has taken office, over 11,000 uninsured children have been added to the State's Children's Health Insurance Program. He opposes a federal government-run, single-payer system, but supports state efforts to reduce the uninsured population. He has also supported expanding services for autistic children, and has promoted a national childhood cancer database. In collaboration with Health Secretary Alan LevineAlan Levine
Alan Brian "Al" Levine is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who currently pitches for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League.-Early and personal life:...
, Governor Jindal has drafted the Louisiana Health First Initiative. This plan focuses on expanding health insurance coverage for the state's indigent population, increasing Medicaid choice, reducing fraud, authorizing funding of a new charity hospital, and increasing transparency in Medicaid by making performance measures available over the internet. Jindal supports co-payments in Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
.
Environmental issues and offshore drilling
Governor Jindal has issued an executive order increasing office recycling programs, reducing solid waste and promoting paperless practices, offering tax credit for hybrid fuel vehicles, increasing average fuel economy goals by 2010, as well as increasing energy efficiency goals and standards for the state. He has stated his opposition to and voted for the criminalization of oil cartels such as OPECOPEC
OPEC is an intergovernmental organization of twelve developing countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. OPEC has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965, and hosts regular meetings...
. As a representative in the House, he supported a $300 million bill to fund Louisiana coastal restoration. In addition, he was the chief sponsor of successful legislation to expand the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park by over 3000 acres (12.1 km²). Jindal has pledged state support for the development of economically friendly cars in northeastern Louisiana in conjunction with alternative energy advocate T. Boone Pickens. Jindal voted to censure a website which promoted the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
Earmarks
In 2007, Jindal led the Louisiana House delegation and ranked 14th among House members in requested earmarkEarmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
funding at nearly $97 million (however in over 99% of these requests, Jindal was a co-sponsor and not the primary initiator of the earmark legislation). $5 million of Jindal's earmark requests were for state defense and indigent healthcare related expenditures, another $50 million was for increasing the safety of Louisiana's waterways and levees after breaches following Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, and the remainder was targeted towards coastal restoration and alternative energy research. As Governor in 2008, Jindal used his line item veto to strike $16 million in earmarks from the state budget but declined to veto $30 million in legislator-added spending. Jindal vetoed over 250 earmarks in the 2008 state budget, twice the total number of such vetoes by previous governors in the preceding twelve years.
Evolution
Jindal signed a law that permits teachers at public schools to supplement standard evolutionary curricula with analysis and critiques that may include intelligent designIntelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
. The law forbids "the promotion of any religious doctrine and will not discriminate against religion or non-religion." Louisiana ACLU Director Marjorie Esman says that if the act is utilized as written, it is on firm constitutional footing, but there is strong potential for abuse, stating that the Act is "susceptible to a constitutional challenge." Despite calls for a veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
from groups such as National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, and some of Jindal's genetics professors at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Jindal signed the Louisiana Academic Freedom Act which passed with a vote of 94-3 in the State House and 35-0 in the State Senate in 2008. As a result of this, the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology is organized to integrate the many fields of specialization which occur in the broad field of biology. The society is dedicated to promoting the pursuit and dissemination of important information relating to biology...
rejected New Orleans as a site for their 2010 meeting and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will not conduct future meetings in Louisiana.
Opposition to Recovery Act
Jindal has been an opponent to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
on the basis that it is not accompanied by revenue increases and that it will further exacerbate the burgeoning national debt. Citing concerns that the augmentation of unemployment insurance may obligate the state to raise taxes on
businesses, Jindal had indicated his intention to forgo federal stimulus plan funds ($98 million) aimed at increasing unemployment insurance for Louisiana. Louisiana has since been obligated to raise taxes on businesses because the unemployment trust fund had dropped below the prescribed threshold. Louisiana was set to receive about $3.8 billion overall. Jindal intends to accept at least $2.4 billion from the stimulus package. He called parts of the plan "irresponsible", saying that "the way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians."
Personal life
Jindal was raised in a HinduHinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
household, but converted to Christianity while in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. During his first year at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, he was received into the Catholic Church. His family attends weekly Mass at Saint Aloysius Parish in Baton Rouge.
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
from Guru Nanak Dev University
Guru Nanak Dev University
Guru Nanak Dev University was established at Amritsar, India on November 24, 1969 to commemorate Guru Nanak Dev's birth quincentenary celebrations. Guru Nanak Dev University campus is spread over 500 acres near village of Kot Khalsa, nearly 8 km west of the Amritsar City on Amritsar - Lahore...
. Jindal's mother, Raj (Pal) Jindal, is an information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
director for the Louisiana Workforce Commission (formerly the Louisiana Department of Labor) and served as Assistant Secretary to former State Labor Secretary Garey Forster
Garey Forster
Garey Forster is an American radio host who served in District 98 as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1982–1997, when he resigned to become the state secretary of labor under Governor Murphy J...
during the administration of Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
Murphy J. Foster, Jr.
Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. served as 53rd Governor of Louisiana from January 1996 until January 2004. Foster's father was Murphy J. Foster, Jr., but Mike Foster uses "Jr." even though he is technically Murphy J. Foster, III. Foster is a businessman, landowner, and sportsman in St...
Prior to immigrating to the United States, both his parents were lecturers at an Indian engineering college. According to Jindal, his mother was already four months pregnant with him when they arrived from India.
Jindal has a younger brother, Nikesh, who is a registered Republican and supported his brother's campaign for Governor. Nikesh went to Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and then Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, where he graduated with honors. He is now a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Washington, D. C..
Jindal's nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
dates to his childhood identification with a sitcom character. He has said, "Every day after school, I'd come home and I'd watch The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
. And I identified with Bobby, you know? He was about my age, and 'Bobby' stuck." He has been known by his nickname ever since, though his legal name remains Piyush Jindal.
In 1997, Jindal married Supriya Jolly who was born in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and moved to Baton Rouge with her parents when she was four years old. They attended the same high school, but Supriya's family moved from Baton Rouge to New Orleans after her freshman year and they did not begin dating until later, when Jindal invited her to a Mardi Gras party after another friend had canceled. Supriya Jindal earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and an M.B.A. degree from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
. She will receive a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in marketing at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
when she successfully completes her dissertation. She created The Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana's Children, a non-profit organization aimed at improving math and science education in grade schools. They have three children: Selia Elizabeth, Shaan Robert, and Slade Ryan. Shaan was born with a congenital heart defect and had surgery as an infant. The Jindals have been outspoken advocates for children with congenital defects, particularly those without insurance. In 2006, Jindal and his wife delivered their third child at home. Barely able to call 911 before the delivery, Jindal received medical coaching by phone to deliver their eight-pound, 2.5-ounce boy.
Writings
A list of Jindal's published writings up to 2001 can be found in the hearing report for his 2001 U.S. Senate confirmation. They include newspaper columns, law review articles, and first authorships in several scientific and policy articles that have appeared in the prominent Journal of the American Medical AssociationJournal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
, Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Association, and Hospital Outlook.
Jindal’s pre-2001 writings include several articles in the New Oxford Review
New Oxford Review
The New Oxford Review is a magazine of Roman Catholic cultural and theological commentary, founded in 1977 as an Anglo-Catholic magazine in the Anglican tradition. In 1983, the magazine officially "converted" to Roman Catholicism. The magazine championed Pope John Paul II's condemnation of...
, one of which later made news during his 2003 gubernatorial race. In that 1994 article titled "Physical Dimensions of Spiritual Warfare", Jindal described the events leading up to an apparent exorcism of a friend and how he felt unable to help her at the time. However, Jindal questioned if what he saw was actually an example of "spiritual warfare".
In November 2010, Jindal published the book Leadership and Crisis, a semi-autobiography significantly influenced by the Governor's experiences with the most recent Gulf Oil Spill.
Electoral history
Governor of Louisiana, 2003- Threshold > 50%
- First Ballot, October 4, 2003
Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome Bobby Jindal Republican 443,389 (33%) Runoff Kathleen Blanco Kathleen BlancoKathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....Democratic 250,136 (18%) Runoff Richard Ieyoub Richard IeyoubRichard Phillip Ieyoub, Sr. , is a Baton Rouge lawyer and a Democratic politician who was the attorney general of Louisiana from 1992 to 2004. Ieyoub was the Calcasieu Parish district attorney in Lake Charles from 1984 to 1992, and is presently with the Baton Rouge firm Couhig Partners...Democratic 223,513 (16%) Defeated Claude "Buddy" Leach Democratic 187,872 (14%) Defeated Others n.a. 257,614 (19%) Defeated
- Second Ballot, November 15, 2003
Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome Kathleen Blanco Kathleen BlancoKathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....Democratic 731,358 (52%) Elected Bobby Jindal Republican 676,484 (48%) Defeated
U. S. Representative, 1st Congressional District, 2004
- Threshold > 50%
- First Ballot, November 2, 2004
Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome Bobby Jindal Republican 225,708 (78%) Elected Roy Armstrong Democratic 19,266 (7%) Defeated Others n.a. 42,923 (15%) Defeated
U. S. Representative, 1st Congressional District, 2006
- Threshold > 50%
- First Ballot, November 7, 2006
Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome Bobby Jindal Republican 130,508 (88%) Elected David Gereighty Democratic 10,919 (7%) Defeated Others n.a. 6,701 (5%) Defeated
Governor of Louisiana, 2007
- Threshold > 50%
- First Ballot, October 20, 2007
Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome Bobby Jindal Republican 699,672 (54%) Elected Walter Boasso Walter BoassoWalter Joseph Boasso is a wealthy businessman and former Democratic state senator from Chalmette, the seat of St. Bernard Parish in south Louisiana. He was defeated in a bid for governor in the October 20, 2007, jungle primary. Boasso won 47 percent in his own St. Bernard Parish, his sole...Democratic 226,364 (17%) Defeated John Georges John GeorgesJohn Georges is a New Orleans, Louisiana, businessman who formerly served on the Louisiana Board of Regents, the body which supervises higher education in his native state....Independent 186,800 (14%) Defeated Foster Campbell Foster CampbellFoster L. Campbell, Jr. , is a Democratic member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, a former 26-year member of the Louisiana State Senate, and an unsuccessful candidate for governor in the October 20, 2007, jungle primary. Campbell polled 161,425 votes and won two parishes: Red River and...Democratic 161,425 (12%) Defeated Others n.a. 23,682 (3%) Defeated
Governor of Louisiana, 2011
- Threshold > 50%
- First Ballot, October 22, 2011
Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome Bobby Jindal Republican 672,950 (66%) Elected Tara Hollis Democratic 182,755 (18%) Defeated Cary J. Deaton Democratic 49,988 (5%) Defeated Ivo "Trey" Roberts Democratic 33,194 (3%) Defeated
External links
Governor- Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal official state site
- Collected reports on Jindal from SAJAforum.org
- Hurricane Gustav: Jindal's first big test from SAJAforum.org
- Complete text, audio, video of Bobby Jindal's gubernatorial election victory address
- Complete text, audio, video of Bobby Jindal's gubernatorial inaugural address
- Jindal, Bobby Fiscal Conservatism Helped Louisiana Beat Katrina Wall Street Journal, August 29, 2008
- Jindal, Bobby Beating a Demon: Physical Dimensions of Spiritual Warfare New Oxford ReviewNew Oxford ReviewThe New Oxford Review is a magazine of Roman Catholic cultural and theological commentary, founded in 1977 as an Anglo-Catholic magazine in the Anglican tradition. In 1983, the magazine officially "converted" to Roman Catholicism. The magazine championed Pope John Paul II's condemnation of...
, December 1994
Congress