Sunday, October 21, 2007

Bobby Jindal Makes History in Louisiana


WASHINGTON -- Mr. Jindal, 36, becomes the youngest U.S. governor and the first Indian-American to head a state. The Republican took 54 percent of the vote to win outright over his nearest rival, Democrat Walter Boasso, who got 18 percent. Outgoing Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco decided to not run again after she was widely criticized for her handling of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina crisis. He narrowly lost the 2003 Louisiana gubernatorial election to Ms. Blanco.

The U.S. India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) has proudly
supported the political career of the Governor-elect, and we are excited
about what Mr. Jindal looks to achieve in the near future. USINPAC and the 2.5 million strong Indian-Americans nationwide celebrate this historic event along with the people of the state of Louisiana.

Mr. Jindal, the American born son of Indian immigrants and a Rhodes
Scholar, was Louisiana's health secretary at age 24, president of the
University of Louisiana at age 28, appointed by President George W. Bush as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services at age 30, elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the 1st district of Louisiana at age 33, and re-elected to the same seat in the U.S. Congress by an overwhelming 88 percent majority in 2006.

"It is surprising," said Dr. Surabhi Garg, USINPAC's Director of Member
Services, "that the public discussion surrounding this young man, who has
dedicated his career to serving the people of his home state of Louisiana,
has been about the shade of his skin color." Dr. Garg further stated that
"the consensus among USINPAC members is that Mr. Jindal is a role model for
young Indian-Americans who look to public service as a life mission."

Mr. Jindal deflected questions about his origins in a remark on the
campaign trail, "people want to make everything about race," he said. "The
only colors that matter here are red, white and blue."

In his victory speech, Mr. Jindal repeated his election pledge to fight
corruption in the state. "They can either go quietly or they can go loudly,
but either way they will go," he said, referring to people who were
"feeding at the public trough."

The U.S. India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) is the political
voice of 2.5 million Indian-Americans. USINPAC provides bipartisan support
to candidates for federal, state and local office who support the issues
that are important to the Indian-American community. For more information,
go to http://www.usinpac.com.

SOURCE USINPAC

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