How important are endorsements by elected officials in the upcoming New Orleans Mayor’s race runoff?

Maybe not much, but it could all depend.

Michael Bagneris, who came in third during the recent New Orleans mayor’s race, has opted to support LaToya Cantrell.

This comes as no surprise.

What will Sidney do? Can Desiree Charbonnet get more of the white vote than she did during the general election?  What about Michael Bagneris who did have a following in the white community while his support in the African American community was very low comparatively speaking?

The New Orleans Mayor’s race was boring. The main excitement was the sideshow between businessman Sidney Torres and Desiree Charbonnet. Torres wasn’t even a candidate. Since LaToya has a strong lead in the runoffs that will occur November 18, her opponent needs to go negative and she will do so.

Those were just some of the comments from political analyst and conservative talk radio host Jeff Crouere in a Facebook Live discussion Thursday night, only days after the general election.

There was one indisputable fact during the New Olreans Mayor’s race—turnout was very poor. There seems to be one logical conclusion for the runoff. The Mayor’s race and the New Orleans elections, in general, are bound to get negative and dirty.

According to the University of New Orleans, data provided by Political Science Department Professor Ed Chervenak, the turnout numbers and demography indicates that LaToya Cantrell received the best race-based cross-over support of any of the candidates.

Here are some of the details provided by the UNO survey after Saturday’s city wide elections:

Remember the old joke that the Louisiana Republican Party was so small, it could hold its meetings in a phone booth?

Lots have changed since then. The Party has become dominant in the very conservative state.

Well, shockingly and unfortunately, let's update the funny. Based upon yesterday's turnout, pull out the phone booth. It's needed.

Despite a horrible turnout, there were some winners.

At the top of the ticket, Democrat Attorney Derrick Edwards and Republican former State Representative John Schroder prevailed in the Louisiana State treasurer's race.  The New Orleans Mayor's race also produced a runoff, between two black women,  LaToya Cantrell and Desiree Charbonnet. 

The major story line coming out of the New Orleans Mayor’s race this weekend, after Saturday’s election day is that after almost 300 years of existence, New Orleans will be run for the very first time in history, starting next year, by a woman, either Desiree Charbonnet or LaToya Cantrell.  Not only are they females, but they also are African American. Thus, not only will the first female Mayor run City Hall, but, she is black.

So the  New Orleans Mayor’s Race endorsement debate is over, at least, that controversy which has occupied the minds of many speculating who two-term Mayor Mitch Landrieu might support to replace him.

Yesterday Landrieu formally decided not to support any candidate for Mayor of New Orleans, as he released his endorsements, which did not include the position of Mayor.

After two weeks of slamming Desiree Charbonnet for New Orleans Mayor, after she cancelled her appearance at its Voice PAC's forum at Loyola University on September 27th, the organziation, founded by businessman Sidney Torres, who has launched into a full scale attack against her, has just released a poll showing she is trailing New Orleans Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell by two percent.