Oct. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Republican U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal pledged to end corruption in Louisiana after winning the governor's race Oct. 20 and becoming the first Indian-American chosen to lead a U.S. state.

Jindal, 36, won the election outright in the primary after gaining 54 percent of the votes, according to results tallied by the Louisiana Secretary of State's office. Four years ago, Jindal won the primary without enough votes to avoid a runoff and lost the general election to Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco, who declined to run again in the wake of criticism of her handling of the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

``Our state has been depicted as a haven for incompetence and corruption. We have some of that, just like every state does,'' Jindal said in a victory speech posted on the New Orleans Times Picayune's Web site. ``Those days are now officially over. We are serving notice. Louisiana is very soon going to be on the rise.''

Jindal, a Bush administration supporter in Congress, was the only Republican running for governor in a state where Democrats make up about half the registered voters and outnumber Republicans two-to-one. Since Katrina and Rita in 2005, tens of thousands of New Orleans residents who historically voted Democratic have been dislocated.

The Secretary of State's office reports 56,995 fewer Democratic voters now than when the hurricane hit, and 11,355 fewer black Democrats. Those numbers understate reality because at least two years must elapse before the state purges former residents from voter rolls, office spokesman Jacques Berry said.

Runoff Avoided

Democrats Foster Campbell and Walter Boasso got 12 percent and 17 percent, respectively, while Independent John Georges won 14 percent, the secretary of state's records show. A majority of votes were needed to avoid a Nov. 17 runoff. Almost 1.3 million people voted in the Oct. 20 election.

``I congratulate Bobby Jindal on his successful election and victory this evening, and I wish him the best as he becomes the next governor of Louisiana,'' said Blanco in a statement early yesterday. ``My administration has begun readying for this change and we look forward to helping with a smooth transition.''

U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat, released a statement that said she was ready to meet with Jindal and work with him in Washington to advance the state's agenda.

``We campaign as Democrats and Republicans, but we serve as Louisianians,'' Landrieu said. ``Our state continues to face incredible challenges that require us to work together across party lines, racial divides and geographic boundaries to advance Louisiana's cause.''

American Dream

Jindal, the son of immigrants from India, graduated from Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship after attending Brown University. He took over Louisiana's health department in 1996 at the age of 24 and was named head of a national Medicare reform commission in 1998, president of the University of Louisiana in 1999, and a health policy adviser for President George W. Bush in 2001.

After his unsuccessful run for governor, Jindal was elected to Congress twice, with 77 percent of the vote in 2004 and 88 percent last year.

In his victory speech Jindal talked about his roots and his family's life in Louisiana.

``My folks came to this country in pursuit of the American dream,'' Jindal said. ``And guess what happened? They found the American dream to be alive and well right here in Louisiana.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Darrell Preston in Dallas at dpreston@bloomberg.net; Henry Goldman in New York City Hall at hgoldman@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 22, 2007 00:10 EDT