Jindal said the campaign was "an honor," paying homage to his parents' journey to America. He said his next stop will be to go back to working on his think tank, where he will begin "outlining a blue print for making this the American century," he wrote.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Tuesday he will suspend his bid for the GOP presidential candidacy, according to a statement released by his campaign.

"When I was born, we lived in student housing at LSU, and never in their wildest dreams did [my parents] think their son would have the opportunity to serve as governor of Louisiana or to run for president," Jindal said, in the statement. "They raised me to believe Americans can do anything, and they were right, we can. But this is not my time, so I am suspending my campaign for president."



Jindal had been faced with a crowded field among GOP contenders: a NBC/WSJ/Marist poll in late September in Iowa showed him tied for fifth place at 6 percent, a high-water mark for his campaign. In the latest NBC News/WSJ national poll, 27 percent of GOP primary voters said they could imagine supporting him, while 49 percent said they could not.



He was one of many governors to make headlines Monday for his opposition to refugee resettlement in his state. In last week's televised debate, Jindal traded barbs with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over whether the Republicans need a candidate who is best positioned to defeat a Democratic opponent, or if conservative economic adherence is the most important attribute.



— CNBC's Everett Rosenfeld contributed to this report.

