Profile of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal

Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the current Governor of Louisiana, a rising star of the Republican Party, and a frequently mentioned 2012 vice-presidential possibility.

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to legal immigrants from Punjab, India, Jindal excelled in academics, business ventures, and athletics throughout his early life. Jindal graduated from Brown University at the age of 20 with a double major in Medical Education and Biology. Both degrees were earned with honors. From there, Jindal had his pick of careers. He was accepted to Harvard Medical School, Yale Law School, and Oxford University. He was always interested in health-related public policy and chose to attend Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar where earned a Masters degree in the field. He was then accepted into a PhD program at Oxford but declined in order to enter the workforce.

Jindal has been married to Supriya since 1997 and they have three children together. Supriya is a native of India who legally immigrated to the United States with her parents at the age of four.

At the age of 25, Bobby Jindal was appointed as the Secretary the Department of Health and Hospitals in Louisiana, one of the largest government agencies in the state. His tenure was wildly successful as he turned the financial status of the agency around while reforming the Department into one of the most effective and productive in the nation.

By 1999, and at the age of 28, Jindal became president of the University of Louisiana system. From there, he worked for two years in the Bush administration as an Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services. He then returned to Louisiana to run for public office. In 2004, Jindal was elected to the US House of Representatives, where he served for two terms until running for Governor. In 2007, Jindal became the first non-incumbent Governor to win outright election in Lousiana history, locking up an unprecedented 54% of the vote in first round voting. In 2011, he won again in first round balloting, with an impressive 66% of the vote.

Governor Jindal is one of the most well-rounded conservatives in the country. Jindal is strongly pro-life, and can use his background in medicine to effectively make that case. He is also a strong supporter of gun rights.

Jindal is a proponent of legal immigration. His parents, as well as his wife, are all natives of India. He sees the legal immigration as fair and honest, and opposes illegal immigration and supported building a fence on the Mexican border.

He supports oil exploration, school vouchers to help poor and minority students, and is a strong opponent of President Obama's stimulus bills and Obamacare. As Governor, Jindal implemented the largest income tax cut in Louisiana history and began reducing taxes on businesses.

Bobby Jindal is often mentioned as one of the top candidates to be Mitt Romney's vice-presidential nominee in 2012. His strong conservative credentials, unique life story, and impressive political rise make him a qualified, competent, and inspiring choice for conservatives. Bobby Jindal would easily be approved by both the tea party and establishment wings of the Republican Party.

Romney has stated on several occasions that he preferred a running-mate with executive experience. Jindal has the edge over a number of other conservative governor's as most of the rising star crop came into office during the 2010 tea party revolution. Romney will not want a running-mate where experience can possibly be raised as an issue, as it was when John McCain selected Sarah Palin in 2008.