Asked if he was considering running for President, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told a reporter for Politico digital news (over a recent dinner at Mosca’s), “it’s hard not to.”
Lanrdieu said that several people have encouraged him to run. He is obviously weighing the idea and said that he will make his decision after the midterm election. (That’s coming soon – Nov. 3.)
Historically, being a mayor has never been a stepping stone for the Presidency. The most notable exception was Grover Cleveland, who served one year (1881) as mayor of Buffalo before being elected Governor of New York. Calvin Coolidge was a small town Mayor (North Hampton Mass.) and then Governor of that state. Later, as Vice President, he succeeded to the White House not by winning an election but as Vice President when President Warren Harding died. (Former Alaska Governor, and losing Vice President nominee, Sarah Palin, started her executive office career as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. Despite its modest population of around 10,000, it is the state’s fourth largest city.)
By contrast, Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of the biggest American City, New York, and whose term included the toughest time of all – the September 11 aftermath – would certainly have the political guts for the Presidency, and did try in 2008, but lost in the primary elections.
Most Presidents, at least recently, have come from the Senate or Governor’s mansions. Among recent holders of the office, Franklin Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan were governors.
Coming from the Senate were Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Lyndon Johnson (via the Vice Presidency) and John Kennedy. Donald Trump was the ultimate exception. His previous office was located in Trump Tower.
Being a big city mayor can be even tougher than the Presidency. Mayors are closer, frequently at the street level, to everyday upheavals, and they do not have the resources that Presidents have to deal with issues. Plus a President gets to travel in a really cool jet.
As presidential material, the Landrieu family has governed well. Dad Moon Landrieu was a good mayor of New Orleans who dealt skillfully with social issues including integrating city government. He was on the national stage, as well as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, where he was an outspoken supporter at the time when New York City needed federal bailout help. He was also Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
As a city council member and legislator, his accomplishments included being a key player in the development of the Louisiana Superdome.
Mitch’s sister Mary bore much of the burden of the Hurricane Katrina recovery. Having served three terms and collecting several “first woman to” accolades, she deserved to be reelected in 2015, but fell to William Cassidy, who somehow made the campaign about liberalism and Barack Obama.
Besides his two terms as mayor, Mitch Lanrieu served as Lt. Governor; as a state legislator; and as Joe Biden’s advisor on a system for infrastructure allocations. He also inherited the burden for much of New Orleans’ early Katrina revival.
So far, on the Democratic side, there is no “gotta have” candidate in the field that will likely include Kamala Harris; former Transportation Secretary as well as Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigeig; and California Governor Gavin Newsom (who was also Mayor of San Francisco). On the Republican side, the strongest ticket might be Vice President J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio who, as the current Secretary of State, will bring the advantage of international experience, plus appealing to Hispanics. A former Senator, his political base is Florida, a powerhouse electoral college state. (A better ticket might be just the reverse, Rubio/Vance.)
Joe Biden’s delay in dropping out of the 2024 presidential race (although it was obvious to everyone that he should have) was a major factor in that election, as well as the upcoming 2028 campaign. By the time he stepped aside it was too late to have anything resembling a Democratic party primary. All that was left was Kamala Harris. There was no chance for anyone new to emerge and excite voters. Had there been the opportunity to pick someone else, that person might be a front runner now. Maybe it could be Mitch Landrieu.
One problem, though, for any New Orleanians working out of town is that in Washington it is hard to get Oysters Mosca.
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To contact Errol, email elabordenola@gmail.com.
BOOK ANNOUNCEMENTS: Errol’s Laborde’s new book, “When Rex Met Zulu: And Other Chronicles of the New Orleans Experience,” (Pelican Publishing Company, 2024) is now available at local bookstores and websites.
Laborde’s other recent publications: “New Orleans: The First 300 Years” and “Mardi Gras: Chronicles of the New Orleans Carnival” (Pelican Publishing Company, 2017 and 2013), are available at the same locations.
