Bobby Jindal, 36 years old, wins the Louisiana governorship.
Jindal Wins Louisiana Race, Becomes First Indian American Governor - washingtonpost.com
Jindal, 36, was making his second attempt to become Louisiana's first nonwhite governor since Reconstruction. The last one was P.B.S. Pinchback, a black Republican who served briefly between 1872 and 1873, at a time when many white voters were disenfranchised.
Jindal, whose given name is Piyush, is the American-born son of Indian immigrants; his parents moved from New Delhi to Baton Rouge so his mother could take graduate classes at Louisiana State University.
But the son charted a new course in the new country.
When he was 4, he decided to call himself Bobby -- after the youngest son on the "Brady Bunch" television show. In high school, he gave up Hinduism and became a Christian; and during his first year at Brown University, he was baptized as a Roman Catholic. His wife, Supriya, is also a Catholic convert.
On the campaign trail, his origins often aroused curiosity and comment. But Jindal sometimes deflected related questions.
"People want to make everything about race," he said during one of the debates. "The only colors that matter here are red, white and blue."
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Especially with targeted audiences, Jindal could speak to the Republican base. He professed his opposition to abortion, signaled a willingness to consider the teaching of intelligent design, and discussed the need to cut taxes.
In television ads and other, broader appeals, Jindal focused on his competence and integrity.
"We've got a government that's out of control," he said in his stump speech. "We've got a government that spends our money without any regard. We're in the top five in having the most crooked politicians in America. We're going to change that."
Wayne Parent, a political science professor at LSU and author of the 2006 book "Inside the Carnival: Unmasking Louisiana Politics," said Jindal has benefited from a weak field of contenders and the perception of his intelligence.
"He projects himself as competent and ethical. That seems to resonate," he said.
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