Lt. Gov. Landrieu to Take On Nagin in New Orleans Mayor Race

Setting the stage for an epic political battle in a beleaguered city, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu will announce today that he will run against Mayor C. Ray Nagin in the April election, Landrieu’s aides said Tuesday night.

Landrieu’s announcement will come this afternoon at a hotel on the bank of the Mississippi River, said aide Scott Shalett, who has taken a leave of absence as Landrieu’s chief of staff and will be a senior advisor to the mayoral campaign.

Shalett cited an independent poll commissioned by a business consortium suggesting that Landrieu has high name recognition and will be considered one of the leaders in the race. Landrieu already has $500,000 in his campaign coffers, though his fundraising does not begin in earnest until an event tonight, Shalett said.

“We’re going to work as hard as anybody to get there,” he said. “But we feel good about where we are.”

The election will be held April 22. A runoff, which is likely because the field is expected to be crowded, would be held May 20.

Nagin could not be reached for comment.

New Orleans’ mayoral election is a nonpartisan affair and typically draws little interest outside the city. But this year is different: The race will draw enormous interest from the national media and national political figures.

Six months ago, Nagin would have been considered a shoo-in for a second four-year term. Then came Hurricane Katrina. Though Nagin became something of a folk hero for his impassioned and outspoken pleas for help in the early days of the disaster, his performance since then has been widely viewed as unsteady.

Among other hitches, Nagin went public with exaggerated claims of violence inside the Superdome, which had been pressed into service as a storm shelter. Critics said his claims may have fed fear and anxiety among law enforcement and military officials, hampering the rescue effort.

Nagin’s most infamous stumble came on Martin Luther King Day, when he said in a speech that God wanted New Orleans to be a predominantly African American city, which he referred to as a “chocolate city.”

African Americans and whites were incensed and Nagin apologized.

With this new opponent, the former cable executive could be in trouble, though he reportedly has more than $1 million in his campaign coffers.

Landrieu, son of former New Orleans Mayor Maurice Edwin “Moon” Landrieu, brother of U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and a well-known figure in the state, will be a formidable challenger.

Several other prominent people have also either declared their candidacy or are reportedly considering running. They include Audubon Nature Institute Chief Executive Ron Forman, former City Councilwoman Peggy Wilson and the Rev. Tom Watson, a prominent African American leader.

Several of the candidates could erode Nagin’s fragile political base.

Forman, a former chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, will probably siphon support from the business establishment.

Nagin is an African American but has never been popular among blacks, some of whom call him “Ray Reagan” because of his periodic support of conservative candidates.

Watson will probably receive considerable support from the black community, as will Landrieu, whose father was one of the first white politicians in the New Orleans area to court black voters.

“I’m beginning to think that Nagin might not even get in the runoff,” said former state representative and community activist Leo Watermeier, who has also declared his mayoral candidacy.

An estimated two-thirds of New Orleans residents remain displaced across the country. Most would have to vote by absentee ballot.