Bobby Jindal’s election as Governor of Louisiana in 2007 marked another milestone in the political rise of Indian Americans. As the first Indian American to serve as a U.S. governor, he demonstrated that a candidate of Indian origin could win statewide executive office in the Deep South by building a broad electoral coalition. Serving two terms, Jindal oversaw one of the nation’s most visible governorships and later sought the Republican presidential nomination. His election further expanded the presence of Indian Americans at the highest levels of American public life.
