Washington: Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, a one-time rising Republican star whose popularity has plummeted in his own state, abruptly dropped out of the presidential race, conceding that he was unable to find any traction. "This is not my time," he said.
Jindal unveiled a series of policy proposals, ferociously attacked Donald J. Trump and spent considerable time courting Conservatives in Iowa, which begins the presidential nominating process. None of it worked. He raised little money, did not rise high enough in the polls to appear on the prime-time debate stage and was overshadowed by unconventional candidates such as Trump and Ben Carson.
In withdrawing, Jindal alluded to his parents' emigration to the United States from India 45 years ago. "I don't think in a million years they would have ever imagined that I'd be governor or one day I'd be running for president of the United States," he said. But, he said, "I've come to the realization this is not my time."
Jindal's withdrawal comes days before a run-off election in the Louisiana governor's race, a contest in which the candidates in both parties have intermittently criticized the once-popular incumbent.
