Bobby Jindal, the first Indian-American to run for US President announced his drop out of the presidential race of 2016 on Fox News earlier on Tuesday. He was among 15 candidates from the Republican Party to run for US Presidency.
Jindal who’s the governor of Louisana had been struggling after entering the race in June to separate himself from the pack seeking the Republican nomination for the November 2016 election managing and average of only 0.8% support.
This is not my time. We spent a lot of time developing detailed policy papers, and given this crazy, unpredictable election season, clearly there just wasn’t a lot of interest.Bobby Jindal
One of the primary challenges for Jindal was that he spent more money than he raised in the third quarter. Other Republican candidates had already quit after burning through cash too quickly.
Former Iowa Republican Party Chairman Matt Strawn said Jindal’s withdrawal would buoy US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who appeals to the same evangelical voters and on Monday won the backing of an influential Iowa lawmaker.
“It means a good week for Senator Cruz just got better as he attempts to consolidate evangelical and anti-establishment support in Iowa,” Strawn said.
Louisiana voters will go to the polls on Saturday to pick Jindal’s successor as governor.
Jindal said that after leaving office, he would work on a think tank he formed. He did not endorse another Republican presidential candidate on Tuesday, saying he would support the party’s nominee.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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