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Mayor Nagin Considers Governorship

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By JOHN MORENO GONZALES, The Associated Press

Published: September 5, 2007

NEW ORLEANS - Mayor Ray Nagin could be days away from announcing he will run for governor of Louisiana - a move many in this stricken city regard as preposterous.

If Nagin runs, he will do so on his stewardship of New Orleans. But this is a city in great distress two years after Hurricane Katrina, with large swaths still empty, an appalling murder rate and a painfully sluggish recovery. Nagin's disapproval rating stood at 65 percent in a recent poll.

'He's clearly seeing his election potential differently than most of Louisiana. Statewide, Ray Nagin is dead in the water,' said G. Pearson Cross, an assistant professor of politics at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. 'One thing is clear: New Orleans has not had the forceful and dynamic leadership necessary to get recovery on the right track.'

But Nagin, in a city hall interview late last month, struck an optimistic note.

'What I'd like to make sure everybody understands around America is that this city is overcoming a lot of odds. It's like a miracle city in some respects,' New Orleans' fourth black mayor said. 'Our citizens are doing incredible things out there.'

A member of Nagin's inner circle told The Associated Press last month that the second-term Democratic mayor planned to announce a run for governor shortly after Labor Day. He has taken several fundraising trips, and an adviser secured the Web address naginforgovernor.com.

The sign-up period for the Oct. 20 election ballot opened Tuesday and runs through Thursday, with Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal - the front-runner in all of the recent polls - the first one to get into the race to succeed Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who is not seeking re-election. Democratic state Sen. Walter Boasso of hard-hit St. Bernard Parish also is running.

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