sabato 27 ottobre 2007

Louisiana elects young, Indian-American governor

As voters in Louisiana begin going to the polls on October 20 to cast their ballot in this Cajun State's gubernatorial primary, front-runner Congressman Piyush 'Bobby'Jindal stands on the verge of creating history by becoming the first even Indian American governor. Jindal, 36, is the nation's youngest sitting governor. The son of Indian immigrants, he will also be the first Indian American governor in U.S. history, and the first non white to hold the job in Louisiana since Reconstruction.
"My mom and dad came to this country in pursuit of the American dream. And guess what happened. They found the American dream to be alive and well right here in Louisiana," he said to cheers and applause at his victory party. With about 70 percent of the vote in, Jindal had 53 percent with 444,550. His nearest competitors: Democrat Walter Boasso with 155,154 votes or 18 percent; Independent John Georges had 120,103 votes or 14 percent; Democrat Foster Campbell with 109,375 or 13 percent. Eight candidates divided the rest. Political analysts said Jindal built up support as a sort of "buyer's remorse" from people who voted for Blanco last time and had second thoughts about that decision. Blanco was widely criticized for the state's response to Hurricane Katrina and she announced months ago that she would not seek re-election. When he takes office in January, Jindal will become the nation's youngest governor in office. He pledged to fight corruption and rid the state of those "feeding at the public trough," revisiting a campaign theme.
A Roman Catholic, Mr. Jindal made a particular campaign target of these areas, visiting them frequently and bringing his brand of devout Christianity to their rural churches. His social-conservative message — teaching “intelligent design” as an alternative to evolution in public schools, a total ban on abortion, repealing hate-crimes laws — would have been welcome in these areas. But he faces significant challenges. He takes over what is now the nation’s poorest, most uneducated and most unhealthy state, by a number of important measures.

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Sebastian Kollamkunnel.
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