Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal c. 2005, photo by United States Congress (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Birth Name: Piyush Jindal
Place of Birth: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Date of Birth: June 10, 1971
Ethnicity: Punjabi Indian
Bobby Jindal is an American politician. A Republican, he served as Governor of Louisiana, from January 14, 2008 to January 11, 2016. He was also Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation, from July 9, 2001 to February 21, 2003, and a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana, from January 3, 2005 to January 14, 2008.
He was a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 2016.
Bobby is the son of Punjabi Indian immigrant parents, Raj (Gupta), who worked in nuclear physics, and Amar Jindal, a civil engineer. His parents were from Malerkotla. He was the first Indian-American governor in the United States. Raised a Hindu, he converted to Catholicism while attending college. He is married to Supriya Jolly, with whom he has three children.
Bobby’s paternal grandfather was a merchant, from Khanpur, Samrala.
Bobby’s maternal grandfather was a Ferozepur banker.
Bobby is the first Indian-American to have mounted a notable campaign for a major political party’s nomination for President of the United States. Other Asian-Americans who have mounted plausible or semi-plausible campaigns for a major party’s presidential nomination were/are:
*Hiram Fong (who sought the 1964 and 1968 Republican nominations; Fong was of Chinese descent)
*Patsy Mink (who sought the 1972 Democratic nomination; Mink was of Japanese descent)
*Andrew Yang (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination; Yang’s parents are Taiwanese)
*Kamala Harris (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination; Harris’ mother was a Tamil Indian)
*Nikki Haley (2024; Republican; won 2 contests; Haley is of Punjabi Indian descent)
*Vivek Ramaswamy (who sought the 2024 Republican nomination; Ramaswamy is of Tamil Indian descent)
Kamala Harris began serving as Vice President of the United States in 2021.
Bobby is also one of five people who were at least partly raised in the Hindu faith, or a Hindu-related faith, to have run for a major party’s presidential nomination. Tulsi Gabbard, who also sought the Democratic Party’s 2020 nomination; Kamala Harris, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy, are the others. Of the five, only Tulsi and Vivek identify as Hindu presently.
Source: http://www.iht.com
There’s plenty of minorities in the republican party. I don’t know why people make a big deal about this guy, it’s nothing new. Also race shouldn’t even matter and not all republicans are racist. It depends on the person, I can’t believe people still judge based on race and political views these days, get over it.
@Neitennant I am not a Republican but your comment is unbelievably ignorant and offensive. Minority groups that don’t think like you are not “stupid” or “disgusting” in fact different views in the U.S. is what makes this country so beautiful. If you hate Republican’s that is one thing but I think you should apologize for how you phrased that comment.
In other words a politician from South Carolina says something racist his party becomes a white supremacist group, right? BTW still waiting for you to give a quote of George W. Bush that proves he is against Latino’s like you claimed on Jeb Bush’s son’s page. BTW I am not a fan of George W. Bush but I don’t call people racists for attention.
I doubt she can pass fully as Caucasian. She looks at best mestizo or middle eastern.
She most definitely can pass as white, she looks like a stereotypical white lady I see in my area. Not all white people are pale skinned with blonde hair, we are quite diverse you know.
What you said is definitely is what most believed. I will say dems cater to more minority causes or concerns, middle class and poor and social programs. The GOP party definitely has to become more inclusive to not only different races but glbt people, women… to win the white house next year. If they continue to want to cut medicare and social security then they will have a hard time having a candidate in office. MOST gop stay away from minorities tho as they traditionally vote democratic. I am a moderate and independent who voted for gop Gov Larry Hogan last year. I’m certainly am not fully white with a black and native mix… thus am a minority. Currently I wouldn’t vote for none those running for office on gop side. But I’m not sold on Hilary as I find her disingenuous.
How are they supposed to be more inclusive? I understand LGBT rights but Hillary is no better at woman’s rights after accepting money from countries with horrible human rights violations. As Senator she gave 72 cents a woman to a man’s dollar. The only thing liberals can say against the Republican’s is they defend unborn lives. I am not a Republican but I stand with them on that.
He’s an Indian american who seems not very proud of his race. He is a right wing panderer. He seems to have want to distance himself from his ethnicity and is in his mind European. Its sad.
Nikki only recently acknowledge her Indian heritage, she was kinda forced to due to that racial killing down there. But I don’t expect her to bring it up anymore tho. It would be good for GOP for the party to appear more racially diverse because U.S. is a melting pot. I’m black, English, Scottish and Native American and proud of them all. Many people try to hide who they are and that’s unfortunate. Bobby Jindal does. I bet when he looks in mirror he doesn’t see his complexion or Race.
That’s quite a racist comment cwm85 especially to white people and indian people. It’s also a strong irrational assumption.
You seem to think all republicans are all racists because all of them are white, meaning all white people are racist – which isn’t true. Since Bobby Jindal isn’t white you deem him as a self-hater, again no facts supporting your views.
From what I notice you’re just race baiting him and hating on white people. Race shouldn’t matter and not all white people are racist. As a white guy I don’t see anything wrong with him being a republican.
his mind is NOT european it’s definitely US-american republican. your description “is in his mind European” makes no sense. europeans are pretty tolerant and proud of ethnic diversity.
Still a horrible governor
WHERE are race and politics separate issues? Race and politics are always linked in the U.S.
When Jindal ran for governor, nobody cared what his background might be. It simply was not an issue. It still isn’t. And his predecessor was a woman with a Spanish last name.
When will the rest of the US learn that not addressing race issues does not resolve them. The so-called Racist South has more politicians of different races than anywhere in the rest of the country.