Jindal gone, but not forgotten in Louisiana governor’s race

BATON ROUGE, La. – Bobby Jindal left the Louisiana governor’s office nearly four years ago and evaporated from the state political scene after a failed presidential bid.

Still, he’s a permanent fixture in Louisiana’s current governor’s race.

Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards frames his GOP opponents in the Oct. 12 election, U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham and businessman Eddie Rispone, as another version of Jindal.

Jindal’s financial policies were blamed for driving Louisiana into a decade of budget troubles. The Republican left office in January 2016 with dismal approval ratings.

Edwards is campaigning as the leader who brought Louisiana out of the fiscal ditch Jindal created.

Abraham and Rispone note that when he was a state lawmaker, Edwards voted for most of the Jindal-era budgets. They say their candidacies have nothing to do with Jindal.