BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal's focus on states important in the US presidential campaign is drawing lots of criticism in his home state and doing little apparent good for his 2016 prospects. Lost — at least for now — in a pack of better-known White House contenders, the country's first Indian-American governor is taking heat in Louisiana for a $1.6 billion budget shortfall that threatens colleges and health care services with deep cuts. Lawmakers from both parties say his national political ambitions are a distraction. “People, I believe, would love to separate themselves from him,” said Republican state Sen. Robert Adley. Despite frequent travel, his attention to national issues, a good relationship with religious conservatives and plenty of sharp rhetoric against President Barack Obama, Jindal is making little impact in the Republican race, with most of the attention going to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is the favorite. Even so, it's early in the contest, and Jindal is expected to announce a presidential bid after state lawmakers wrap up their legislative session in mid-June. He's sent political aides to Iowa and recently announced the hiring of a political operative for New Hampshire. A Catholic convert raised by Hindu parents, Jindal has pivoted from his reputation as a policy wonk to make his religious beliefs the centerpiece of a possible White House campaign. He's courted evangelical Christians through meetings with pastors and aggressively promoted “religious liberty” in speeches. So far, however, party leaders and key donors have been slow to embrace his national ambitions. And he's competing for the religious conservative vote against more well-known contenders, like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. “The good news for Governor Jindal is he's making a good impression with Iowa's evangelical leaders,” said former Iowa Republican Party chairman Matt Strawn. “The bad news for Governor Jindal is that there's about a half dozen candidates that are also trying to fish in that pond.” Among Louisiana residents, Jindal's approval has dipped into the high 20s and low 30s in recent surveys. The governor, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits, suggests that's because “reform is always controversial. Democracy is messy. “But the end result has been a stronger, more prosperous Louisiana for our children,” Jindal told lawmakers last week as the state's annual legislative session began. Yet Jindal's tax proposals have misfired with lawmakers, who are working on their own budget-balancing ideas in a state where the Legislature traditionally takes its lead on spending plans from the governor. And more frequent trips to Iowa risk exacerbating tensions back home. Jindal has been away from Louisiana 45 of the first 100 days of this year, according to an Associated Press tally. His absenteeism is so frequent it sparked an April Fool's joke from Republican state Sen. Dan Claitor, who tweeted April 1: “Bobby spotted at the Capitol. (April Fool).” Overseas travel has also raised eyebrows. He drew widespread criticism for a London speech in which he repeated heavily disputed claims that Muslims have established “no-go zones” in European neighborhoods that operate outside of local civic control. — AP
