Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans' black political base is one more victim of Hurricane Katrina. The storm decimated once-thriving black, middle-class neighborhoods, undercutting efforts by black candidates to raise money and build voter support.
All of this is coming into play as the mostly black city readies to elect a successor to the very-public political face during and since Katrina -- Mayor Ray Nagin. There's a good chance his successor will be city's first white mayor in three decades.
Sensing the difficulty in winning, the most prominent black candidate bowed out of the race earlier this month. State Sen. Ed Murray acknowledged that it would have been difficult to beat Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, the scion of a prominent white political family who have been popular among black voters.
While blacks still make up about 62 percent of the voter rolls, white candidates have gained traction since Katrina hit in 2005. Whites gained a 4-3 majority on the City Council in 2007, and a white district attorney was elected in 2008.
In the mayoral election, political analysts say race may be less of a factor as voters consider who can accelerate the city's recovery and fight its high crime rate.
"I think African-Americans would prefer voting for an African-American, but one that they feel comfortable would do what has to be done" said City Constable Lambert Boissiere Jr., a former city councilman who was among black leaders who rose to power in the 1970s.
But for a candidate to convince voters he'll get the job done, he has to know where to find them and what issues matter to them. Boissiere said that can be a challenge in some black middle-class enclaves and poor neighborhoods like the Lower 9th Ward, which are still struggling from the storm and remain thinly populated.
"You don't know how to reach them," Boissiere said.
Many residents who scattered, disrupting neighborhood political networks, haven't come back. The city's overall population, about 450,000 before the storm, remains down by more than 100,000.
Those who have returned often have less money to contribute to black candidates, said Silas Lee, a professor of public policy at Xavier University who did poll work for Murray. He said the storm exacerbated economic problems for many working- and middle-class blacks.
