Back in June, I penned an article here on The Hayride that shared my thoughts about the upcoming New Orleans mayoral election:

After nearly eight years under LaToya “the Destroya,” you’d think New Orleanians might consider a political outsider for a change. But you’d be wrong.

So far, only two major candidates have emerged in the mayoral race: Helena Moreno and Oliver Thomas. Moreno is a far-left ideologue who could make Cantrell look moderate by comparison. Thomas is a convicted felon.

Not exactly inspiring choices.

To be brutally honest, it may not matter who wins. The city’s long-standing issues—crime, corruption, and chaos—aren’t going anywhere, regardless of the election outcome.

The people of New Orleans have repeatedly shown that they are incapable of self-governance. They have not shown that they are capable of selecting an effective leader.

While I still hold the same views that I shared in that previous article, there was a major development that just occurred in the race for mayor that might change the trajectory of this whole election.

When I first wrote about the looming election, there were only three major candidates in the race: Councilwoman Helena Moreno, Councilman Oliver Thomas, and former judge Arthur Hardy. But in a sudden twist, current State Senator Royce Duplessis decided to make a last minute entrance in late June after previously denying that he would run.

Before Duplessis joined the race, Moreno appeared to be the runaway favorite. Early polling showed her above 50%  and with substantial leads over Thomas and Hardy. However, the late entrance of Duplessis may have thrown a wrench in Moreno’s plans to avoid a runoff and achieve an outright in the October primary election.

But just yesterday, a major change may have boosted Duplessis to a coveted spot in a runoff election against Moreno. In a public event, Hardy announced that he was dropping out of the race and that he was endorsing Duplessis.

With just two months until the primary, we’ve now seen this race consolidate into a different set of three major candidates: Moreno, Thomas, and Duplessis.

As other writers here on The Hayride have already pointed out, there is not a huge degree of variation in the political positions of the three major candidates. That being said, Duplessis appears to be angling himself as the far-left, progressive candidate based on his campaign platform and rhetoric. His “Louisiana Last” voting record in his time as a state legislator should raise major red flags for voters.

Handing Duplessis the keys to City Hall in New Orleans should be a major concern for anyone who advocates for the Second Amendment, traditional values, and public safety. Of course, I would not exactly count Moreno or Thomas as friends to the “Louisiana First” movement. But Duplessis’s far-left ideological bent–as evidenced by his legislative voting record–could spell further doom for a city in continued decline.

There’s no really great option in this election for moderate and conservative voters in New Orleans. But, Duplessis is probably the most concerning candidate in this election in my humble opinion. Let’s hope that we don’t have to get used the title of *Mayor* Duplessis any time soon.

—