WASHINGTON (Reuters/AFP) - Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said on Tuesday (Nov 17) he was suspending his campaign for the Republican nomination for president in 2016, saying "this is not my time".

"I've come here to announce that I'm suspending my campaign for president of the United States," Mr Jindal told Fox News. "It's been an incredible honor to run for president of this great country," he added in a post on Twitter.

"We spent a lot of time developing detailed policy papers, and given this crazy, unpredictable election season, clearly there just wasn't a lot of interest," Mr Jindal said on Fox News after announcing his exit from the race.

"I think the Republican Party has to lay out the pathway why we are the party for opportunity and growth," he said.

Mr Jindal's campaign failed to take off this year, and he languished near the back of the big Republican pack seeking the GOP nomination.

He often polled at under 1 per cent, and his campaign faced financial pressure.

Mr Jindal has consistently polled on the lower end of the pack of Republicans seeking the party's nomination for the November 2016 election.

He received 0.8 per cent of support in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Louisiana voters will go to the polls on Saturday to pick Mr Jindal's successor as governor, a race that has been surprisingly close in a typically Republican state.

Mr Jindal said he would work on a think-tank he formed after he leaves office. He declined to endorse another Republican presidential candidate on Tuesday, saying he would support the party's eventual nominee.

Mr Jindal, the 44-year-old son of Indian immigrants, is the third Republican to drop out of the contest, after former Texas governor Rick Perry and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.