Qualifying for the New Orleans mayoral election is now underway, and the candidates running in the race will soon bombard voters with their ideas for the city.
One political analyst cautions the candidates to tread carefully when campaigning.
"I don't think you can come up with super, super liberal changing everything ideas," Tulane University political science adjunct professor Rosalind Cook said to WWL's Tommy Tucker. "You have to sort of do it in a way that people don't think that you're going to change everything."
Cook says voters want the mayoral candidates to fix the problems that have plagued the city during the Cantrell Administration, specifically potholes and other infrastructure woes, and how city services are delivered. In fact, Cook says the biggest challenge for the new mayor will be recruiting new residents to the city and retaining those who are already here.
"New Orleans is losing population more so than any other city, and part of it is people thinking they can do better somewhere else," Cook said. "They don't want to leave New Orleans, but they want it to be a functioning city."
Cook said racial politics will play a large role in the race, but she notes that each of the candidates has a chance to cast a wide net and cross party, gender, and racial lines to win.
"If candidates are able to bring in people who aren't registered who plan on supporting them, that could make a difference," Cook said.