The Times-Picayune I Advocate and Gambit Both Endorse JP Morrell
The Times-Picayune/Advocate and Gambit both announced they are endorsing JP Morrell for New Orleans City Council At-Large, Division 2 in the Nov. 13 election. Early voting starts Saturday and is available through Nov. 6, excluding Sunday.
The Times-Picayune wrote in its endorsement:
Our choice, though, is attorney and former state Sen. JP Morrell, a big-picture thinker who doesn’t get lost in the weeds.
Morrell was known at the State Capitol for proposing more bills than any other legislator. What impresses us is his ability to turn his ambitious ideas into law. Even as he chaired the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee, Morrell worked to strengthen protections for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. He also authored the landmark constitutional amendment to end nonunanimous jury convictions, a practice with racist roots that exacerbated unequal justice to the end.
If elected, Morrell vows to tackle the city’s growing crime problem and to revamp regulations governing short term rentals.
That an unapologetic progressive was able to pass meaningful legislation through a Republican-dominated and increasingly partisan Legislature, and has attracted support for the council race from across the ideological spectrum, speaks to both Morrell’s pragmatism and people skills. We enthusiastically endorse his candidacy.
In its endorsement of JP Morrell, Gambit wrote:
Morrell’s deep roots in the city give him a strong understanding of the issues facing all parts of New Orleans. Equally important, his groundbreaking work in the Legislature proves that he has the kind of state-level chops that could prove crucial in addressing our city's fiscal and structural challenges. He has rightly taken a hard stance in favor of tighter regulation of short-term rentals, which under the current administration and council have been allowed to wreak havoc in many neighborhoods. His vocal opposition to anti-trans legislation this year was a principled one, and his leading role in ending Jim Crow-era non-unanimous jury verdicts further established him as someone who can build game-changing coalitions. Finally, we believe Morrell will provide strong guard rails against executive branch excesses in Mayor Cantrell’s second term.
Morrell will be on the ballot as the ONLY official candidate of the Democratic Party, Independent Women's Organization (IWO), AFL-CIO, Times-Picayune, and Gambit in the race, and he is also endorsed by New Orleans Coalition, Alliance for Good Government, Independent Democratic Electors Association (IDEA), UNITE HERE, Voters Organized to Educate (VOTE), United Teachers of New Orleans (UTNO), New Orleans East Leadership (NOEL), Forum for Equality, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Southeastern Louisiana Chapter of the National Association of Building and Constructions Trades (NABTU), NOLA Rainbow Advocates, and over 250 women leaders and advocates, among others (below).