BATON ROUGE, La., Nov. 17 (UPI) — The 2016 Republican field became smaller Tuesday when Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced his exit from the presidential race.
Jindal, who has so far been polling under 1 percent nationwide, made the announcement Tuesday saying the timing just wasn’t right for his campaign.
“I cannot tell you what an honor it has been to run for President of the United States of America,” he said in a Facebook post. “But this is not my time, so I am suspending my campaign for President.”
Jindal’s announcement was accompanied with an image that read, “Thank you.”
Louisiana’s governor since 2008, Jindal struggled to gain a foothold in the GOP race — as he was surpassed by party favorites like Donald Trump and Ben Carson.
“We cannot settle for The Left’s view of envy and division,” he continued. “We have to be the party that says everyone in this country — no matter the circumstances of their birth or who their parents are — can succeed in America.”
Jindal said he will continue to work for the people of Louisiana and expressed hope that future U.S. leaders will triumph in modern issues like the economy and terrorism.
“Don’t forget, this is still the greatest country in the history of the world,” he said.
Jindal’s departure reduces the Republican field to about a dozen major candidates. Former Texas governor Rick Perry and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker have also left the race.
