Locals will hit the polls on Saturday to decide who New Orleans' next mayor will be. Political analyst and publisher of Lunchtime Politics, Ron Faucheux, took a look at the latest polling to see where the candidates stand with the election that sits just around the corner. According to the latest numbers, Helena Moreno still holds a commanding lead over the other contenders in the mayoral race. Feaucheaux says her closest contenders in Royce Duplesses and Oliver Thomas still lag far behind in recent polling.
According to Feaucheaux, Moreno is polling well enough to win in the primary. With that said, “Anything can happen. There’s always uncertainty when it comes to election day turnout”, he went on to emphasize. “Turnout in the last two mayoral elections and elections for state governor have been low. It can be hard to predict the final turnout. We all look at it and try to do it, but you really never can tell,” he added. While polling may show Moreno with a wide lead, which voters actually show up on election day matters.
“Ultimately it really depends on who ends up voting,” Feaucheaux points out. Voter demographics can benefit different candidates, and when the votes are all cast, who actually turned up to cast those votes will end up shaping the election. “The next mayor has to fix city services and the operation of government. Otherwise they’re going to have a big mess on their hands,” he noted, adding that he doesn’t expect the “honeymoon period” to last long regardless of who is elected mayor of New Orleans. Feaucheaux says the city has a full slate of issues to deal with and many in the Crescent City are exhausted by the constant drama coming out of City Hall.