National

Republican Jindal Wins Louisiana Governor's Race

Published October 22, 2007 at 6:02 AM PDT

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

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U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is now the state's governor-elect. After two terms in Congress, the Louisiana native will become the first Indian-American to head a U.S. state's government.

The Republican Jindal won the governor's seat with 54 percent of the vote, soundly beating 11 other candidates striving to succeed Gov. Kathleen Blanco. No other candidate won more than 20 percent of the vote.

At 36, Jindal will become the nation's youngest governor. He previously served as Louisiana's health care secretary, a job he took when he was 24. Jindal first ran for Louisiana's governorship four years ago, at the age of 32.

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Jindal will become Louisiana's first non-white governor since Reconstruction.

Jindal is the son of Indian immigrants, a heritage that he discussed in his acceptance speech. "My mom and dad came to this country in pursuit of the American dream," Jindal said. "And guess what happened — they found the American dream to be alive and well right here in Louisiana."

The governor-elect also used his speech to reiterate his plans for cleaning up Louisiana politics. Speaking of the state's corruption problems, and the officials who contribute to them, Jindal said, "They can either go quietly or they can go loudly, but either way, they will go."