'Jailhouse lawyer' Calvin Duncan wins in New Orleans
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New Orleans voters officially tapped "jailhouse lawyer" Calvin Duncan as their new Criminal District Clerk of Court in Saturday's unexpectedly fascinating race.
Why it matters: The votes in that race and several others mark the end of Louisiana's 2025 elections.
The big picture: Clerk races are typically sleepy, but the challenge of Duncan, a former Louisiana inmate, to incumbent Darren Lombard captured national attention after Lombard and Attorney General Liz Murrill questioned Duncan's right to call himself exonerated.
- The issue sharpened focus on Duncan's platform as he leaned on his legal experience, which began while working his own case from inside Angola Prison, to explain how vital modern record-keeping is in court.
- Duncan ended Saturday with 68% of 56,748 votes, according to preliminary results from the Secretary of State's Office.
Other key races and issues on the ballot included:
👥 City Council: The two remaining district seats for January's incoming council members will be filled by Aimee McCarron for District A and Jason Hughes for District E.
- They received 58% and 61% of their district's votes, respectively, according to the Secretary of State.
💰 Bond propositions: Voters approved $510 million in bonds that'll go toward filling potholes, providing affordable housing and maintaining public parks. More on the propositions.
📝 Charter amendments: New Orleans' charter, which outlines how the city functions, will be updated with city planning deadline changes and a clarification on the city attorney's role.
Go deeper: See full election results from the Secretary of State's office.
What we're watching: Expect elections in 2026 to be interesting, too.
- All eyes are on the Supreme Court, which is due to take a stand on Louisiana's congressional map — and potentially upend the Voting Rights Act in the process.
- Either way, that decision will bring some clarity to what's next for candidates who have eyes on one of several races that'll transition to closed party primaries next year.