Bobby Jindal Drops Out, Failing to Win Over Social Conservatives

Having never broke out of the bottom of polling, or out of the undercard debating group, Bobby Jindal dropped out of the race for president today.

"This is not my time," the Louisiana governor wrote in a goodbye letter on Facebook and elsewhere.

During his short run, Jindal competed heartily to win the mantle of social conservatives. His state was among the last to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the Supreme Court ruled in June, not relenting until ordered to by three separate courts.

He also is one of three Republicans to appear at the Religious Liberties Conference -- dubbed by some as the "kill the gays rally" -- hosted in Iowa this month by antigay pastor Kevin Swanson. Along with Texas senator Ted Cruz and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Jindal shared the stage with Swanson, who pontificated enthusiastically about the extermination of gays and lesbians.

Fighting for so-called religious liberty was a cornerstone of Jindal's case for becoming president.

After lawmakers in his state failed to pass a religious freedom bill akin to the one that failed in Indiana, Jindal went ahead on his own and issued an executive order barring Louisiana from penalizing any worker who acted in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage. He earned headlines early on for an op-ed in The New York Times that condemned changes made to the RFRA in Indiana, saying LGBT activists were trying "to bully elected officials into backing away from strong protections for religious liberty."

In announcing his candidacy in June, Jindal warned that "Christianity is under assault in America." Then on the campaign trail he touted the endorsement of Duck Dynasty family members. And in his note to supporters today, Jindal reiterated his concern that the United States is on the wrong track.

"Now is the time for all those Americans who still believe in freedom and American exceptionalism to stand up and defend it," he said. "The idea of America -- the idea that my parents came here for almost a half a century ago -- that idea is slipping away from us. Freedom is under assault from both outside our borders and from within. We must act now, we do not have a moment to spare."