Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson is suspending her campaign for reelection as fallout continues from last week's escape by ten inmates from the city’s jail.
The decision comes as public pressure mounts over security failures and a lack of transparency at the Orleans Justice Center. Hutson’s critics have questioned whether her office is up to the task of overseeing the troubled facility.
Political analyst Clancy DuBos says the move signals where Hutson’s priorities are at least for now.
“I think she wants to focus right now on rounding up the remaining escapees and cooperating with the investigation into what exactly happened, why, how,” DuBos said.
“The fact that she is suspending her campaign, I think she intends that as a signal that she is focusing on what is most important right now.”
Hutson, elected in 2021 on a platform of progressive reform, has not officially ended her campaign. Her statement did not clarify whether she plans to re-enter the race. But DuBos notes that historically, campaign suspensions rarely mean a return.
“She knows this is an impediment to her campaign,” he said.
“As I have covered politics, the vast majority of candidates that suspend a campaign end up dropping out of a race.”
Still, with the qualifying deadline just far enough away, DuBos says there’s room for Hutson to regroup and decide her political future.
“She’s focusing on the investigation, which is the right thing to do,” he said. “There is time for her to make decisions on reelection.”