VOTERS IN LOUISIANA — often called a sister state to Rhode Island because of the colorful politics we share — seem to have finally had enough of corruption, incompetence and economic malaise. Is there a lesson in that for the Ocean State?

Bobby Jindal, 36, a former Rhodes Scholar from Brown University, may not be the answer, but they are giving him a try.

They elected him governor in a landslide on Oct. 20. He won a whopping 54 percent of the vote in the preliminary election, obviating the need for a final showdown this month. He carried 60 of 64 parishes.

He did it even though he is a Republican, and Louisiana is friendlier to Democrats. He did it even though his parents are from India — indeed, he was the first non-white candidate to be elected governor of Louisiana since Reconstruction.

While most of the media seemed to pin the blame for Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath on President Bush, Louisiana voters clearly believed that Gov. Kathleen Blanco, though a Democrat, bore a sizeable share of responsibility for the state’s dismal performance before, during and after the crisis. She was effectively driven into retirement.

Rhode Island required no hurricane to sink into its political, financial and economic morass. But the big problems in Louisiana, at least as Mr. Jindal sees them, have a most familiar ring.

He’s worried, for starters, about political corruption. His first task, he says, will be to convene a special session of the Democrat-controlled legislature to vote up or down on his 31-point plan for ethics reform in state government.

Couldn’t Rhode Island, whose legislature is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, benefit from higher ethical standards and greater public disclosure, too?

“I think for too long Louisianans have . . . laughed at our politicians and the ones that have gone to jail, and made the funny jokes, but it’s not funny anymore,” Mr. Jindal said during a recent appearance on Fox News Sunday. “. . . Here’s the problem: All those jokes, all that corruption — it’s stealing opportunities from our kids.”

Haven’t Rhode Islanders been laughing at politicians who have brazenly ripped them off? Haven’t some of the state’s media outlets encouraged such corruption by paying big bucks to a notorious and unapologetic political felon — contributing to the state’s decay and stealing opportunities from our kids?

Mr. Jindal is worried that Louisiana is the only state in the South where people are moving out instead of moving in.

Isn’t Rhode Island facing a similar dilemma? We ranked 49th in population growth between 2003 and 2006, as our middle class (notably including retirees) fled for less punishing states, according to a recent analysis by the Tax Foundation. While the nation’s population has grown almost 3 percent, Rhode Island’s fell over half a percent.

Mr. Jindal is worried that Lousiana has been ranked as one of the worst places to do business in America. Didn’t the aforementioned Tax Foundation just release a report ranking Rhode Island 50th — dead last — in its business tax climate?

“I think the voters were saying, ‘We’re tired of politics being entertainment in Louisiana. We know we live in a great state. Let’s realize our potential. Let’s create jobs so our kids don’t have to leave home to pursue their dreams,’ ” he said.

How many times have Rhode Islanders complained that their children must leave to find work?

Mr. Jindal is worried that high taxes are depressing business activity, and he is pushing for tax cuts. Rhode Island makes Louisiana look like a tax haven.

Mr. Jindal is worried about the poor performance of Louisiana’s schools. He advocates expanding choice so that parents may have greater say in their children’s education, and schools can be held accountable.

How long have Rhode Island’s edu-crats been resisting real change, promising that the state’s public schools — among America’s most expensive per pupil — would somehow, someday improve, while year after year they remain generally mediocre?

It is notoriously difficult, of course, to change any state’s political culture. Old habits and voting patterns are almost impossible to break. Special interests amass power and send out tentacles to control every nook and cranny of the political process.

But Mr. Jindal seems a force of political nature. At 24, he was appointed head of the state’s $4 billion health-care system. At 27, he was president of the University of Louisiana system. At 29, he was U.S. assistant secretary of Health and Human Services. At 33, he was elected to Congress.

In January, he takes office as the youngest governor in America.

Mr. Jindal also draws hope from Louisiana’s term limits on legislators, something that Rhode Island unfortunately does not enjoy. “For the first time ever, over half the legislature could be brand new,” he said.

It took a disaster of biblical proportions in Louisiana, when the failings of the state’s political leaders became impossible to ignore, to prompt voters to opt for a fresh approach.

It will be interesting to see what happens down by the Bayou over the next few years. There may be some lessons there of great benefit to the Ocean State, if the voters here are capable of grasping them.

Edward Achorn is The Journal’s deputy editorial-pages editor ( eachorn@projo.com).