Mayor LaToya Cantrell's comments to the Washington Post about the possibility of not having Mardi Gras in 2021 set off a firestorm of controversy, but will that controversy last long enough to damage the mayor politically?
Normally comments about canceling Mardi Gras would be political suicide, but pollster Ed Chervenak says we're in uncharted territory here -- and that goes for politics, too.
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"Yeah, it's really hard to determine whether statements like that are hurting her politically because we're in such a unique situation with this pandemic," he said.
Chervenak said typically in a crisis situation, elected leaders get a boost in their poll numbers, and no New Orleans mayor has lost a bid for reelection in modern times.
"Most politicians have seen their approval ratings increase as a result of this, because they're taking the tough decisions that need to be made," Chervenak said, "and most, in fact, all mayors in the modern era have not been denied a second term, so given that, she's more likely to be reelected than not."
Chervenak says there's just no way to tell if this will linger when New Orleans elections roll around in October 2021.
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