Buying of the President

Published — June 24, 2015 Updated — November 17, 2015 at 6:23 pm ET

9 things to know about Bobby Jindal

Louisiana governor is newest entrant in crowded GOP 2016 field

Introduction

Update, Nov. 17, 2015: Bobby Jindal has decided to suspend his 2016 presidential bid.

Republican Bobby Jindal’s resume includes more accomplishments than most people will experience in their lifetimes.

The current governor of Louisiana is a former Rhodes Scholar, former McKinsey & Co. consultant and former congressman.

He also once served as the secretary of Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals and was a top adviser at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the George W. Bush administration.

But Jindal, who turned 44 earlier this month, is hoping that he’ll be able to add another title to that list — 45th president of the United States.

Today in a New Orleans suburb, Jindal is set to announce his 2016 White House bid.

In doing so, he’ll be joining a crowded field that already includes four sitting U.S. senators and several current and former governors.

Here’s more about Jindal’s political and financial history:

  • Bobby Jindal has raised about $40 million overall for his three gubernatorial bids and two U.S. House races.
  • The oil and gas industry has contributed about $1.5 million to Bobby Jindal over the years — more than any other industry.
  • The New York Times found that some of Bobby Jindal’s top corporate campaign contributors have also donated to a nonprofit foundation set up by his wife.
  • Bobby Jindal once led Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals, and he served as a top Department of Health and Human Services adviser under President George W. Bush.
  • About $1 of every $15 Bobby Jindal has raised during his political career has come from the health sector. 
  • Twelve of the 16 doctors Bobby Jindal named to the Louisiana Medical Advisory Board in July 2008 were also campaign donors.
  • Bobby Jindal’s federal PAC doled out about $59,000 to other pols last year. The top beneficiary? The New Hampshire Republican Party.
  • Among those backing Bobby Jindal’s 2016 bid? Conservative super-lawyer Jim Bopp, who, for decades, has called for campaign finance rules to be be loosened.
  • “Duck Dynasty” star Willie Robertson has also endorsed Bobby Jindal. The reality TV show enjoys generous tax breaks for filming in Louisiana.

Sources: Center for Public Integrity reporting as well as Bloomberg, the Center for Responsive Politics, Federal Election Commission, Fox News Radio, Gambit, National Institute on Money in State Politics, New York Times and Newsmax.

Image sources:AP, Flickr

Sources: Center for Public Integrity reporting as well as Bloomberg, the Center for Responsive Politics, Federal Election Commission, Fox News Radio, Gambit, National Institute on Money in State Politics, New York Times and Newsmax.

Image sources:AP, Flickr

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