Bobby Jindal ends GOP presidential campaign

David Jackson and Greg Hilburn | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Bobby Jindal: 'This wasn't my time' Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal bowed out of the Republican presidential race, saying he "decided it was better to live to see another day."

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ended his long-shot campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday, saying on Fox News that "it's not my time."

While Jindal's campaign showed some progress in Iowa — site of the Feb. 1 caucuses that open the Republican nomination contest — he had trouble gaining traction in other states.

Known as an economic wonk during his years as a U.S. House member and as governor, Jindal stressed social issues during his short-lived presidential campaign.

Because of his low poll standing, Jindal found himself relegated to preliminary debates; he never made the prime-time stage.

Jindal is the third member of the very large Republican field to drop out — and the third twice-elected governor, joining former Texas governor Rick Perry and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

While not endorsing any of his opponents, Jindal said it is important that Republicans win the 2016 presidential election and "we had better elect the right candidate."

He added that he leaves the race without regrets. “I cannot tell you what an honor it has been to run for president of the United States,” Jindal told Fox News' Bret Baier.

In announcing his withdrawal, Jindal echoed his campaign stump speech by saying the Republicans have to be the party of growth and opportunity, assailing "the left."

"We cannot settle for the left's view of envy and division," he said. "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, who is term-limited, said he will work for the think tank he founded, America Next, after his term ends in January. There he said he plans to outline "a blueprint for making this the American century."

Timmy Teepell, Jindal's campaign manager and former chief of staff, said the governor won't run for the Louisiana Senate seat next year currently held by Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter, who is running for governor.

Teepell said Jindal's presidential campaign, which never gained significant traction, was harmed by the governor's exclusion from the main debate stage, where Teepell believed Jindal would have excelled.

"It never occurred to us he would be excluded," Teepell said. "The debate criteria was a bad idea from the start."

Ben Carson, who's led some Republican polls, thanked Jindal on Twitter following the announcement "for being a conservative governor and running a campaign he should be proud of."

Thank you to @BobbyJindal for being a conservative governor and running a campaign he should be proud of. Wishing the Jindal family well. — Dr. Ben Carson (@RealBenCarson) November 17, 2015

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in a statement said, "Governor Jindal has served the people of Louisiana with distinction, and I have no doubt that he will play an important role in helping to elect the next President of the Unites States, and beyond."

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who participated in some of the earlier undercard debates with Jindal, tweeted that Jindal "has always been a strong voice for the conservative cause."

Bobby Jindal has always been a strong voice for the conservative cause, served the people of LA well, & I wish him & his family all the best — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) November 17, 2015

The reaction wasn't universally flattering, though.

John Bel Edwards, the Democrat seeking to succeed him as Louisiana's governor, said in a statement: "The people of Iowa and New Hampshire have come to know what we know: Bobby Jindal's failed policies, the ones that would be continued and expanded by David Vitter, are about promoting self interest over the common interest." Edwards faces Vitter, a Republican U.S. senator, in a runoff election Saturday.

Jindal entered the race in June with a pledge to "rock the boat" in Washington.

While Jindal touted his fiscal management in Louisiana, the governor also saw his approval ratings fall at home because of budget cuts and other political disputes.

One poll from late September showed Jindal in eighth place in Louisiana among the Republican candidates. It also showed the governor losing his home state in a general election match-up with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, 45%-42%.

“It was the airplane that never took off - stuck on the runway and just never gained any altitude,’’ said Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University. “Probably of all the candidates, I think he’s the one who just never got any traction at all.’’

Pearson Cross, a political science professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said Jindal's decision "really surprised me."

"I thought he would stick it out through the Iowa caucuses (Feb. 1)," said Cross, who is writing a book on Jindal. "I'm not sure what changed, other than the funding really dried up."

Cross said Jindal's plummeting popularity back home and the state's budget problems also began to haunt him on the campaign trail.

"Louisiana's financial problems proved more pressing than he anticipated," Cross said.

But Cross said Jindal, 44, isn't likely done politically.

"He's a young man," Cross said. "Don't weep for Jindal. His future is bright, though right now it's not as bright as his past."

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Hilburn reports for Gannett Louisiana

Contributing: Deborah Berry