We're 10-and-a-half weeks away from the New Orleans mayor's election, and New Orleans city council member Helena Moreno has a comfortable lead in the race. However, the latest entrant into the contest has made a strong showing so far.
According to one political analyst, Duplessis's rise doesn't bode well for another candidate.
"This is not good news for (Oliver) Thomas," Clancy Dubos said, noting that Thomas has been campaigning privately and openly for the mayor's office for the last year.
According to the latest polling conducted by Ron Faucheux, Duplessis trails Thomas by two percentage points, 16 percent to 14 percent. However, Dubos says Duplessis is within the margin of error of knocking Thomas out of a potential runoff bid.
"Duplessis is already within the margin of error of Oliver Thomas," Dubos said. "If he gets more money and continues the early momentum, he could propel himself into second place."
Dubos says the race will become clearer in the six weeks between Labor Day and Election Day. That's when, he says, more voters will begin paying close attention to the race and the candidates. Dubos believes Duplessis could both surpass Thomas and possibly cut into leader Helena Moreno's 47-percent support between now and then.
"The old saying, 'Money is the mother's milk of politics,' is certainly true," Dubos said. "It's not the only thing candidates need. They need to have a message that resonates with voters. I've seen candidates outspend their opponents two-to-one and still lose because they didn't resonate with voters."
