Royce Duplessis surges in fundraising for New Orleans mayoral primary
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State Sen. Royce Duplessis outperformed other mayoral hopefuls in the most recent fundraising reports, but City Council Vice President Helena Moreno still holds the biggest war chest by far.
Why it matters: We're less than a month away from the primaries, and Moreno's financial advantage gives her a powerful edge as she tries to avoid a runoff.
The big picture: While 11 candidates are running for mayor, only three were successful in raising at least $100,000 in the most recent filing period, according to the Louisiana Ethics Administration.
- The latest campaign finance reports cover July 4 through Sept. 1.
By the numbers: Duplessis, who entered the race in late June, got $576,200 in contributions during the latest time period, his filings show. He has about $590,000 in the bank.
- Moreno raised about $459,200 and is spending heavily. But even after shelling out $737,000, she still ended the period with more than $1.4 million in the bank, records show.
- She was the first major candidate to announce and started the year with an almost $1 million war chest.
- City Councilmember Oliver Thomas raised about $106,350 and also is in spending mode. He ended the period with about $316,000 cash on hand, according to filings.
Zoom in: Frank Janusa, the only Republican on the ballot, raised $12,100, records show.
- Eileen Carter, who was one of the leaders of the failed recall effort for Mayor LaToya Cantrell, raised $3,500.
- Renada Collins and Ricky Twiggs each raised less than $1,000.
- The other hopefuls either reported no contributions or didn't file paperwork by the deadline.
Between the lines: The candidate with the most money doesn't always win the race, but it certainly helps get their message to voters.
Zoom in: You can read the filings on the Louisiana Board of Ethics' site along with the list of their donors.
- Go here and type in their name.
Polls: Moreno continues to lead in the most recent polls.
- One from Fox 8 last week has her capturing 51% of the vote, with Thomas getting 16% and Duplessis 11%.
- A WWL poll had similar results last month, with Moreno projected to get 47% of the vote.
The intrigue: The Oct. 11 election is a jungle primary. If a candidate gets 50% of the vote, they win outright, like Jeff Landry did in 2023 in the governor's race.
- Will Moreno get enough votes to win in the primary? Or will she head into a runoff on Nov. 15 with Thomas or Duplessis?
What's next: The last day to register online to vote is Sept. 20.
- Early voting begins Sept. 27.