Mayoral race set for next month

The primary for the New Orleans mayoral election is quickly approaching. A polling place will be located in the Lavin-Bernick Center near the ATMs. Voting will take place Feb. 6, the day before Super Bowl Sunday.

Louisiana’s primary procedure differs from those of many other states. Here, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, two candidates receiving the most votes will participate in a run-off election March 6.

In a recent WWL poll, 47 percent of respondents said they would likely vote for Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, giving Landrieu a commanding lead.

Businessman Troy Henry is in second place with 14 percent, and businessman John Georges and lawyer Rob Couhig are tied for third place with 8 percent. Fair-housing activist James Perry received 3 percent, followed by former Civil District Court Judge Nadine Ramsey with 2 percent.

Students said they are interested in the race because of its importance to the future of the city.

“I would say this mayoral election is really important because it’s the first chance to have a fresh start after [Ray] Nagin,” sophomore Spandu Induru said. “It’ll be a vital period of change after Katrina.”