Clancy DuBos would’ve liked to see Saturday’s turnout of New Orleans local elections closer to 40%, that of the primary. Still, the political analyst says a 20% showing was a “pleasant surprise.”
“By preliminary indications, I thought it would be in the high teens, around 17-18%,” says Dubos.
All three runoff elections resulted in landslide victories, which surprised DuBos. "None of them were close," he emphasizes. "The winners won Big. Big. Big."
As for the losers, DuBos concludes there are two: Attack-oriented campaigns and Congressman Troy Carter.
“Attacks were not favored by voters,” DuBos says. “Those who attacked lost. Holly Friedman lost in District A… And lost big. The attack on Darren Lombard in the Clerk of Courts race launched against Calvin Duncan not only backfired in the primary but gave Duncan momentum that continued into the runoffs.”
He was also quick to point out how Congressman Troy Carter placed his political bets on losing horses.
“It was a bad political season for Congressman Troy Carter," says DuBos. "He backed three candidates in major races, all from Algiers, which is his base. He backed Delisha Boyd in the City Council at-large race against Matt Willard; she lost in a huge way. He backed Edwin Shorty in the sheriff's race…And then Darren Lombard… got clobbered almost 2 to 1.”
While DuBos praises Carter’s representation of his district at the U.S. Capitol, DuBos states that he prefers congressmen to stay away from influencing local political elections.
“Hopefully, he will do what he's been doing up in Washington, which is focus on his district and continue to be a good congressman and not focus on local elections. That’s how it used to be," says DuBos.
With the dust settling, how does the seasoned New Orleans political analyst feel about this year's political crop?
“In New Orleans, the council and the mayor's race attracted really high-quality candidates, and they were rewarded: They either won or made the runoff,” explains DuBos. “That speaks volumes in a good way about the political climate in New Orleans and hopefully where we’re headed.”