Bobby Jindal's Governorship Evaluation
Who Is Bobby Jindal?
Bobby Jindal served as the Governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016. He was elected at 36 years old, making him the youngest governor in the country at the time. He was also the first Indian-American governor in U.S. history.
Before the governorship, he served as Louisiana's Secretary of Education and as a U.S. Representative. His rise seemed meteoric. His governorship? That's where things get complicated.
The Hype vs. The Reality
Jindal entered office with massive expectations. Republicans nationally treated him as a rising star. The media called him a "future president." He had the looks, the resume, and the conservative credentials.
Eight years later, his approval ratings tanked. His own party abandoned his agenda. He left office with a $1.6 billion budget deficit. That's not spin. That's arithmetic.
What He Actually Did as Governor
Education Reform
Jindal pushed school choice hard. He expanded charter schools and pushed for voucher programs that let public money flow to private schools. The Louisiana Supreme Court eventually struck down his voucher program as unconstitutionally funding religious institutions.
Test scores improved slightly during his tenure, but attribution is murky. Louisiana still ranked near the bottom of national education metrics when he left.
Healthcare Expansion Rejection
When the Affordable Care Act passed, Jindal refused to expand Medicaid. He sued the federal government over the law. His reasoning: federal funding wasn't guaranteed long-term.
Critics called this ideological gridlock. Supporters called it fiscal prudence. What actually happened: Louisiana left billions in federal money on the table. Hospitals closed. Uninsured rates stayed high.
The Budget Disaster
Jindal slashed income taxes multiple times. He did this without replacing the revenue. The state increasingly relied on one-time fixes and federal money.
By his final years, the budget was held together with tape and prayers. The higher education funding crisis became infamous. Public universities faced massive cuts. Tuition skyrocketed. Faculty jobs evaporated.
The Presidential Ambition Problem
Jindal never hid that he wanted to be president. His governorship often seemed secondary to his national political brand. He spent time campaigning for other Republicans instead of governing Louisiana.
This frustrated both voters and legislators. Bills stalled. Relationships soured. By 2015, his own party in the legislature started overriding his vetoes.
What Went Wrong: A Blunt Assessment
- No funding plan. Cutting taxes without replacement revenue is not governance. It's ideology.
- Medicaid rejection. Refusing billions in federal funds hurt real people. Hospitals closed. Workers got laid off.
- Self-inflicted wounds. His voucher program got struck down. His budget projections were fantasy. He refused to adapt when plans failed.
- Distracted leadership. Running for president while governing is a conflict of interest. Louisiana got the short end.
The Numbers Don't Lie
| Metric | Start of Term (2008) | End of Term (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| State Budget Deficit | $500 million deficit | $1.6 billion deficit |
| Higher Ed Funding | Baseline | Down 42% |
| Louisiana Credit Rating | A- (stable) | A- (negative outlook) |
| Medicaid Expansion | Not applicable | Not implemented |
| Governor's Approval Rating | ~60% | ~30% |
These numbers come from Louisiana legislative reports and independent analyses. The trajectory is not flattering.
What He Got Right
It's not all negative. A few things actually worked:
- Coastal restoration funding. He secured federal money for Louisiana's disappearing coastline. This was genuinely important work.
- Criminal justice reform. Some bipartisan reforms passed, though they were modest.
- Transparency efforts. He improved the state's budgeting website. Citizens could actually see where money went.
These wins exist. They're just overshadowed by the bigger failures.
How to Evaluate Any Governorship (Practical Guide)
Don't trust the hype. Don't trust the attacks. Look at the data:
- Check the budget trajectory. Did they leave the state in better or worse fiscal shape?
- Look at employment numbers. Raw job counts mean nothing. Look at wage growth and industry diversification.
- Examine infrastructure. Roads, schools, hospitals. Did they maintain or neglect?
- Read the audit reports. State auditors publish findings. Read them.
- Ignore the press releases. Politicians spin. Numbers don't.
Legacy: What History Will Say
Jindal's governorship will be remembered as a cautionary tale. Brilliant credentials don't guarantee good governance. Ideological purity doesn't balance budgets. And running for higher office while holding current office creates obvious conflicts.
Louisiana didn't get worse under Jindal in every way. But the fiscal mess he left took years to address. His party learned expensive lessons about tax-cut economics. His national political career ended quietly.
That's the evaluation. Judge it however you want.