Jindal misses votes while campaigning

Publication: The Shreveport Times

Ana Radelat
October 4, 2007

WASHINGTON — Rep. Bobby Jindal has largely abandoned his job on Capitol Hill as he stumps across the state seeking the governor’s office.

Jindal, a Republican from Kenner, has missed more than 100 recorded votes since early August, congressional voting records show. He has missed debates on the Iraq war, energy, children’s health care, defense funding and even a pet issue — adding wind coverage to the national flood insurance program.

Jindal is in Shreveport today for the gubernatorial debate at LSUS at 7 p.m.

Jindal campaign spokesman Trey Williams said the congressman has been “very diligent in his congressional duties.”

“Unfortunately he will miss some votes over the next 17 days, which he regrets,” Williams said Wednesday.

The primary election is Oct. 20.

Williams said constituents understand that the congressman “must be in Louisiana” to campaign and participate in debates. He also said Jindal did not request a leave of absence from the House.

The congressional calendar usually accommodates lawmakers by scheduling lengthy recesses before Election Day.

But Congress does not adjust its calendar to allow for campaigning for Louisiana’s off-year elections, although it took a monthlong August recess and plans another break next week.

The only votes Jindal has cast in the past two months occurred on Sept. 10. One was in favor of a nonbinding resolution recognizing Sept. 11 as a day of remembrance that was approved nearly unanimously. The other was in favor of a resolution supporting the goals of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

Jindal’s chief opponents, state Sen. Walter Boasso, Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell and New Orleans businessman John Georges, have the advantages of working and living in the state full time and have more flexible schedules.

Boasso’s public service this year was largely limited to the state’s two-month legislative session last spring. Campbell’s job with the Public Service Commission is part time, giving him flexibility to campaign. Georges, as the CEO of a Jefferson Parish food supply company, has the authority to delegate some of his duties to other company officers.

By contrast, Congress is in session all year, with several recesses. Serving in the House and Senate is a full-time job.

Jindal has represented Louisiana’s 1st District since 2004. Solidly Republican, the district runs from the New Orleans suburbs north to the Mississippi border.

Some of Jindal’s supporters say they don’t mind his missed votes and absence from Capitol Hill.

“I’m not going to question his decision,” said Kerri Bacilli of Alexandria.

She said she decided to contribute to Jindal’s re-election campaign to the House last year after hearing the Republican speak at her church and trusts his judgment.

Mary Lyles Adair, a supporter from Mandeville, said she understands Jindal has to campaign.

“I don’t think it’s his intent to abandon his constituents,” she said.

But Adair also acknowledged Jindal’s missed congressional work “might matter to some people.”

Jennifer Duffy, a political analyst with Cook Political Report, said politicians often abandon their congressional jobs when running for higher office.

“It only becomes a problem if it’s the vote that makes a difference,” Duffy said.

Although Jindal has missed dozens of votes, none of them were close enough to make a difference in the outcome.

Duffy also said Jindal’s congressional staff is still serving his constituents.

But Bill Allison, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Sunlight Foundation, a government watchdog group, said Jindal’s constituents are being short-changed.

“We don’t elect the staff, we elect the representative,” Allison said. “He’s essentially leaving his district without representation.”

Allison also said Jindal might be hurting the state by skipping hearings and other work in the committees he serves on, the House Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Energy and Natural Resources Committee. These panels are key to federal hurricane recovery efforts, Allison said.

“Members of Congress are paid a lot of money. They get expense accounts and other perks and when Congress is in session, they ought to be here,” he said. “Half of life — and work in Congress —is just showing up.”

Boasso also missed votes in the state Senate this year. So did Campbell during his 27 years in the state Legislature.

But Campbell’s campaign spokesman Alan Stonecipher said the missed votes represented a small fraction of the approximately 50,000 votes Campbell has cast.