Former New Orleans Mayor MITCH LANDRIEU (photo courtesy of Mitch Landrieu/Facebook)
The midterm elections are a little more than a month away, but speculation is already underway as to who will run for president in two years. Among those considering a run for the White House on the Democratic side is former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. He expressed his interest in an interview with Politico, saying he expects to make a decision by the end of the year. LSU New Orleans political scientist Ed Chervenak says Landrieu is quite prominent within Democratic circles.
“He was associated with the Biden administration; he’s been successful as a mayor; he’s been successful as a statewide representative here in Louisiana,” Chervenak noted.
Landrieu was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1988 to 2004 before serving as lieutenant governor from 2004 until his resignation in 2010 when he took over as mayor of New Orleans, a post he held until 2018. Chervenak says not holding elected office since then shouldn’t be a detriment for Landrieu.
“He’s well-known in Democratic circles. He’s well-liked; and he’s very good at retail politics. I don’t think he’ll have any problem making any of those connections,” Chervenak said.
If Landrieu does decide to get into the race, he can expect to be in a very crowded field. Chervenak says, as such, Landrieu will need to work extra hard to separate himself.
“They’ll be building name recognition, organization; making contacts next year in some of these early primary states, and they’ll test the waters to see whether they have any support or not,” Chervenak explained.
The field is also expected to be crowded on the Republican side, with no incumbent eligible to run for re-election due to term limits as spelled out in the 22nd Amendment.
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