A campaign spokesperson for LaToya Cantrell calls the recall effort "a Republican-backed maneuver by people with an agenda." The statement released today was the first comment from the mayor on the matter.
"The recall effort to undermine and discredit the first Black woman Mayor of New Orleans is quickly being exposed as a Republican-backed maneuver by people with an agenda," the statement read. "It fits into a long history of taking away our vote and our voice. That’s why we have reason to believe a conservative DC firm has signed on to lead the effort. That’s why many GOP organizations in the city is encouraging people to sign the petition. That’s why Fox News is leading the propaganda charge."
Recall campaign vice-chair Eileen Carter, who is Black, was quick to respond to the claim that the recall is being driven by Republican operatives.
"Why lie on your residents and to your residents? Sad," said Carter, who went on to say that the recall was not about race or partisanship. "It’s a job performance issue. We are grassroots (no money to date)…The divisiveness is one reason we filed the recall."
Read more of Carter's response here...
Beldon Batiste, the chairman of the recall, is also Black, and is listed as a Democrat on the Louisiana Secretary of State's web site.
Batiste says since they began the recall campaign, he has been subject to threats and intimidation.
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The mayor's actions have grabbed the attention of conservative commentators like Fox News' Tucker Carlson. Carlson devoted a segment of a recent episode of his show to the mayor's appearance in juvenile court with the family of a convicted teenage carjacker, as crime rates in the city have risen.
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The recall petition was filed last week. Carter told WWL's Newell Normand that initial interest has been high, with more than a thousand signatures gathered in the first few days. The recall has a long way to go: it will take more than 53,000 signatures from registered New Orleans voters to trigger a recall election. The signatures must be verified within 180 days of the petition being filed.
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