I was kind of surprised to learn over the weekend that Governor Bobby Jindal won re-election as governor of Louisana. Not because I didn’t think he couldn’t get re-elected, but it seemed like yesterday (but it’s been four years since he was first elected in 2007), as well as the fact that I thought all regularly scheduled elections occurred the first Tuesday of November:
Jindal, who was widely favored to win, had 66% of the vote with 98% precincts reporting, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State. His next closest competitor, Democrat Tara Hollis, got about 18% of the vote. The eight other candidates pulled in low single digits. … The state holds a nonpartisan blanket primary, meaning both political parties run in the same contest and if a candidate wins 50% or more of the vote, then he or she wins the race. If Jindal had failed to get a majority, he would have gone head-to-head with the second place candidate in the gubernatorial general on Nov. 19.
I’m not a fan of Jindal’s policies or politics, but as the first Indian American governor elected in the United States, he has definitely broken new mental barriers as to how many Americans may perceive who political or business leaders can be.
Then again, recently, since Jindal has often been considered a potential vice presidential running mate ever since 2008, birthers have questioned Jindal being a “natural born citizen.”
(Image courtesy of Associated Press)
