Jindal musters black vote in race for Louisiana governor

By Ela Dutt

Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal, left, with members of the Metro Club during his campaign. (Photo as it appears on bobbyjindal.com)

The simple act of voting is one of the most important rights and responsibilities of being an American citizen. Even though this year will not have the fanfare of a Presidential or Congressional election, it is still an important one in the democratic process. This year, the news has been filled with the remarkable success of Bobby Jindal in Louisiana. However, it is important to note that there are several other candidates of South Asian background running for a wide variety of offices. Voting, especially for local and state officials, has a tremendous impact on your community and your family. On Nov. 4 (Nov. 15 in Louisiana), get out and vote for your local officials. ----- From Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA), www.

Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal, left, with members of the Metro Club during his campaign. (Photo as it appears on bobbyjindal.com)
Louisiana gubernatorial candidate, Republican Bobby Jindal, has mustered high-profile support from the African-American community in the state in a drive to counteract media and political reports claiming he lacked black support for his race because he had not addressed the issues of this group.

On. Oct. 23, Jindal was endorsed by Black Organization for Leadership Development (BOLD), a leading African-American group in Louisiana, and he was scheduled to receive another endorsement from black clergy on Oct. 24. Analysts have characterized BOLD’s endorsement as a “political coup” for Jindal who had been arguing that all the issues he had discussed so far and on which he had released detailed white papers, such as health, education, and economic development, were issues of central concern to the black community, contrary to attacks that he had not addressed their issues.

The support announced by BOLD is extremely significant as this group has traditionally supported Democratic candidates. However, Jindal’s candidature has seemingly split the estimated 30 percent black vote in the state as Attorney General Richard Ieyoub, who lost his bid for governor in theprimaries on Oct. 4, was the prime candidate supported by BOLD. Now the organization publicly transferred its support to Jindal at an event on Oct. 23.

Over the last few days, as the race heated up for the Nov. 15 gubernatorial runoff between Democratic Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Jindal, the young Indian American has been accusing Blanco of negative campaigning against him. Jindal has consistently portrayed that his campaign was not one of old-time politics but rather a discussion on issues. At a press conference Oct. 24, Jindal was to get the endorsement of CLOUT Ministerial Alliance, a group of black ministers in the New Orleans area.