Jindal fails to make it to first Republican debate

Trailing far behind in most polls, Bobby Jindal, the Indian-American Governor of louisiana, has failed to make the cut for a spot in the first Republican presidential debate on Thursday even as real estate tycoon Donald Trump, continuing his recent surge, heads the Top 10 roster for the encounter in Cleveland.

In an average of five most recent national polls, used by host Fox News to determine who is in or out for the debate, Trump was way ahead of the other 16 Republican hopefuls with 23.4 per cent support, followed by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush who was a distant second with 12.0 per cent votes.

Others who made it to the debate included Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Ohio Governor John Kasich.

Jindal polled a mere 1.4 per cent and was 13th in the pecking order. The seven Republicans who failed to qualify for the prime-time debate will have a consolation prize of sorts: a second-tier debate among themselves hours before the main debate.The Jindal campaign, however, put up a brave face over the exclusion from the prime debate, with spokeswoman Shannon Dirmann commenting: “The first votes will be cast in Iowa at the beginning of February. This nomination will be earned, not bought.” A super political action committee backing Jindal said it would run advertisements on Fox News in Iowa during the main debate. 

Besides Jindal, participants in this encounter will include former Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Senator Rick Santorum, former HP chief executive Carly Fiorina, Senator lindsey Graham, former New York Governor George Pataki and former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore.The Cleveland debate, first in a long series over the next several months, comes more than six months before the Iowa Caucuses, which traditionally kicks off the US primaries in the run-up to the presidential election that will be held in November 2016.