You may not know Susan Hutson, but chances are you will in the coming months. Just last Friday, Susan Hutson, the head of the Independent Police Monitor, resigned from her post. She’s expected to announce soon a challenge to four-term incumbent Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman. We asked Political Analyst Ed Chervenak about Ms. Hutson as a candidate:
“One of the things is she’s going to have to convince people that she can be more effective than Marlin Gusman.”
Chervenak expects Hutson to run on a progressive platform, the same as which swept Jason Williams into the District Attorney’s office.
“She’s going to run on this progressive platform that we’ve seen in recent criminal justice elections that we’ve seen in Orleans Parish and across the nation as well.”
Chervenak says Hutson will face an uphill battle against the four term incumbent.
“Trying to replicate someone like Jason Williams who used that progressive platform to become the District Attorney, now you have to remember he had lots of name recognition and lots of experience.”
Chervenak says Hutson is a political novice without a lot of experience going up against a long time politician.
“Despite the fact that he’s running for his fifth term and there have been issues at the Jail, but he is a political survivor, he is a skilled political operator and at this point, I think it would be difficult to defeat him.”
