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The presidential field grew by one this week, bringing the total number of announced candidates to 17 – four Democrats and 13 Republicans. On Wednesday, two-term Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced his intent to become the GOP presidential nominee. At one time, Mr. Jindal was seen as a rising star in the Republican Party, and was on a path to become one of his party’s top presidential contenders. His fall from the national limelight began followings his less-than-stellar delivery of the 2009 Republican State of the Union response. Coupled with a series of gubernatorial missteps, Mr. Jindal now finds himself as one of the nation’s least popular governors. Currently, his approval rating stands at 27 percent as he faces a $1.6 billion deficit in the state budget. This one-time GOP star barely registers in recent national polling. The latest RealClearPolitics Average pegs his support at 0.8 percent. Mr. Jindal began his political and public policy career at an early age. At 24, Mr. Jindal was appointed the secretary of the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals. While overseeing an agency representing 40 percent of the state’s budget, he took the state’s Medicaid program from a $400 million deficit to a $220 million surplus. Four years later, he was appointed president of the University of Louisiana. At 30, Mr. Jindal was nominated by President George W. Bush to be Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation. After serving in this role for two years, he returned home to Louisiana to run for governor. He lost the 2003 gubernatorial election, but was elected the following year to the U.S. House, where he served for two terms. In 2007, Mr. Jindal was successful in his second bid to become governor. Still considering a bid are Vice President Joe Biden (D), who will decide by August 1; Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.); Governor John Kasich (R-Ohio); Governor Scott Walker (R-Wis.), who is expected to announce in July; and former U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.). For more information, please contact David Ashinoff atashinoffd@agc.org or (202) 547-5013. Return to Top |
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