Early voting in the 2nd Congressional District special election began Saturday, and the race appears to be shaping up around three candidates.
Political analyst Clancy DuBos said there are two clear frontrunners at the moment: New Orleans lawmakers Karen Carter Peterson and Troy Carter. Of the two, DuBos believe Troy Carter seems to have the advantage.
"Carter has gotten by far the most endorsements, he has raised the most money, and he has the support of former incumbent Cedric Richmond," said DuBos.
Carter also boasts the endorsement of prominent Baton Rouge lawmaker Cleo Fields.
Peterson’s endorsements are headlined by Emily’s List and former Georgia state lawmaker and voting rights advocate Stacy Abrams.
DuBos expects this race to head to an April runoff due to the fifteen candidates on the ballot, most notably the presence of Baton Rouge social justice activist and Democrat Gary Chambers.
"(Chambers) is mounting a very serious and high-energy campaign," noted DuBos. "He is kind of the unpredictable factor here."
Over 70 percent of the voters in the 2nd District are based in metropolitan New Orleans, with the rest coming from the River Parishes and north Baton Rouge.
No third parties have polled the race so far, but DuBos said internal campaign polling shows there is still a lot of undecideds left.
“There was still 40-plus percent of the voters left undecided. In a race that is probably going to see a turnout of 20 percent or less polls kind of go out the window,” said DuBos.
Voting in the 5th Congressional District special election also begins Saturday.
