NOLA.COM: Why no major challenger is expected for LaToya Cantrell in New Orleans mayoral race
BY JEFF ADELSON and JESSICA WILLIAMS | Staff writers
In six months, Mayor LaToya Cantrell will be on the ballot once again, asking voters for a second term in office.
But when you ask most people in New Orleans about the fall election, there’s a good chance their response will be, “What mayor’s race?”
New Orleans voters are famously loyal to their mayors, returning each of the last seven to office for a second term or beyond. Even so, most of those reelection contests drew at least one serious challenger.
This time appears to be shaping up differently.
With less than three months left until qualifying begins July 14, no one with significant political standing, name recognition or fundraising prowess has laid the groundwork needed to mount a campaign. The only organized opposition to Cantrell's reelection bid is a group of businesspeople who have been unhappy with her coronavirus restrictions, and even they have yet to find a potential candidate. That's meant little campaigning — or even public posturing — among the city's political class.
Meanwhile, there has been intense jockeying for seats on the New Orleans City Council. An at-large seat, vacated by Jason Williams after he was elected District Attorney, offers a potentially easier path to citywide office, and has drawn interest from political veterans, including former State Sen. JP Morrell and City Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer.
The city's first female mayor, Cantrell heads into the final stretch before qualifying with several major advantages to stave off competition, observers say.
Beyond the difficulty of unseating an incumbent, the various crises her administration has faced — including the Hard Rock hotel collapse, a cyberattack on city government and the difficulties of navigating the coronavirus pandemic — were driven largely by forces beyond her control. Her job was to react and muster the force of the city's government for its residents.
Her outspoken, and at times obstinate, leadership style has worked to her benefit, especially during the pandemic, which required public officials to set restrictions to control the spread of the disease.
Her setbacks, including a scandal in the city's permitting department, the revelation that she hadn't paid some federal taxes and some losses on ballot measures, were all overshadowed by the pandemic and the city's response to it. That makes it difficult for challengers to build a narrative against her, observers said.
And despite the challenges, the mayor has maintained a high approval rating among the city's residents.
“I think the mayor is in an incredible position of strength post-COVID, and only a political novice would attempt a run against her at this point,” said Tyronne Walker, a political consultant and the DA's chief administrative officer. Walker was also a senior advisor and communications director for former Mayor Mitch Landrieu.