Today is the day candidates for mayor and other elected offices in the city of New Orleans can start signing up.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is term-limited and can't run again. Open races usually bring out a host of candidates looking to get enough votes to at least force a runoff.
JMC Analytics pollster John Couvillon says it will take one of two things for a candidate to get there.
"Whoever makes the runoff is going to have either a) a coalition built, or b) a solidly identifiable constituency because New Orleans is a racially 50-50 city nowadays," said Couvillon.
The race got a recent shakeup with the entry of State Senator Royce Duplessis, the effects of which we're still waiting to see.
"In the short term, I'm of the opinion that Sen. Duplessis will probably be taking away support from both Arthur Hunter and from Oliver Thomas," Couvillon said. "The question then becomes, will he have the ability to compete with Helena Moreno?"
Couvillon says there's still plenty of "long term" to go in this campaign, to see if any candidate can start pulling in undecided voters by late August or early September.
The election is October 11, with a runoff on November 15 if necessary.
