Jindal Takes All

Momo Chang
October 21, 2007

Bobby_Jindal%252C_official_109th_Congressional_photo.jpg

He recently won the governor's seat in Louisiana. Not only is he the youngest elected governor in the country at 36, he's also the first Indian American governor ever in the U.S. and the first nonwhite governor of Louisiana since Reconstruction.

Jindal took 53 percent of the votes, beating out 11 opponents.

He's also Republican. And a born-again Christian (he's Catholic).

I wonder how folks in the Indian American community view him, since I would guess many are not Republican, nor Catholic.

It's interesting to see how the initial stories are framed: First nonwhite governor in the state; youngest governor; son of immigrants; pursuing the American Dream; etc.

His politics are strictly conservative - he's against abortion and supports the war, among other things.

And Louisiana doesn't have a huge Indian American population - does that put him even more at odds with the rest of the country's larger South Asian population?

Contributor: 

Momo Chang

Senior Contributing Editor

Momo Chang is the Content Manager at the Center for Asian American Media, and freelances for magazines, online publications, and weeklies. Her writings focus on Asian American communities, communities of color, and youth culture. She is a former staff writer at the Oakland Tribune. Her stories range from uncovering working conditions in nail salons, to stories about “invisible minorities” like Tongan youth and Iu Mien farmers. She has freelances The New York Times, WIRED, and East Bay Express, among other publications.

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