| Election Name: | 2002 New Orleans mayoral election |
| Country: | New Orleans |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1998 New Orleans mayoral election |
| Previous Year: | 1998 |
| Election Date: | February 2, 2002 (first round) March 2, 2002 (runoff) |
| Next Election: | 2006 New Orleans mayoral election |
| Next Year: | 2006 |
| 1Blank: | First round |
| 2Blank: | Runoff |
| Image1: | File:Mayor C Ray Nagin.jpg |
| Candidate1: | Ray Nagin |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| 1Data1: | 38,323 28.68% |
| 2Data1: | 76,639 58.74% |
| Candidate2: | Richard Pennington |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| 1Data2: | 31,259 23.4% |
| 2Data2: | 53,836 41.26% |
| Image3: | 3x4.svg |
| Candidate3: | Paulette Irons |
| Party3: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| 1Data3: | 24,557 18.38% |
| 2Data3: | Eliminated |
| Image4: | 3x4.svg |
| Candidate4: | Jim Singleton |
| Party4: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| 1Data4: | 17,503 13.1% |
| 2Data4: | Eliminated |
| Image5: | File:French Quarter Festival 1996, Opening Parade - Banner - crop Troy Carter (cropped).jpg |
| Candidate5: | Troy Carter |
| Party5: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| 1Data5: | 13,898 10.4% |
| 2Data5: | Eliminated |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Marc Morial |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Ray Nagin |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The New Orleans mayoral election of 2002 was an election for Mayor of New Orleans; the primary round of voting was held on February 2, 2002, followed by a runoff on March 2. It resulted in the election of Ray Nagin as mayor.
In New Orleans, Louisiana mayoral elections, there is an open primary. Unless one candidate takes more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a run-off election is then held between the top two candidates in the primary round of voting. In this case, the runoff was held on March 2, 2002. In the runoff, Ray Nagin defeated Richard Pennington to become mayor of New Orleans, the first time in over 50 years that a New Orleans mayor had been elected with no previous experience as an elected official.
The election campaign opened with the attempt of two-term mayor Marc Morial to change the city charter to allow him to run for a third term. Morial's attempt was unsuccessful, so a perceived political vacuum attracted a larger-than-usual number of candidates.
Other candidates also running included:
The primary campaign was relatively short and quiet. The candidates agreed on most major issues, including the need to boost the city's economic climate by eliminating patronage and improving public schools. Some controversy arose from one of Nagin's main campaign planks, a proposal to sell or lease the city's Louis Armstrong International Airport and use the money to improve roads and schools. Other candidates proposed regionalizing the airport, but were unwilling to take the drastic step desired by Nagin. Nagin also proposed setting up committees to oversee the appointment of officials in an effort to curb political patronage, while Pennington insisted on retaining mayoral prerogative in appointments. Nagin was also the only candidate to oppose a living wage referendum, which passed but was eventually defeated in court.
Nagin went into the primary round of voting with influential endorsements from both the Times-Picayune and the Gambit. Outgoing mayor Marc Morial did not endorse any candidates in the primary or the runoff; both leading candidates were promising a reduction in the patronage that was so prominent in Morial's administration.
The runoff campaign saw Nagin pick up endorsements from defeated candidates Singleton, Carter, and Lucas. The campaign took a negative turn when ads appeared attacking Nagin's credentials as a member of the Democratic party, and when Pennington professed to have information about Nagin that 'sickened him to the core', without specifying its nature.
Mayoral Primary, February 2
The most prominent feature of the primary results was a dramatic surge in Nagin's support; going into the primary, Pennington was widely predicted to finish first. Precinct-by-precinct returns prompted political analysts to attribute Nagin's first-place finish in the primary to a high turnout by white voters who disproportionately preferred Nagin to his main opponent, Pennington. Nagin also saw support in higher-income black neighborhoods. Pennington found his main base of support in predominantly African-American neighborhoods, winning 217 black-majority precincts to Nagin's 46. The primary results were also seen as a rejection of New Orleans politics-as-usual; both the runoff candidates were political newcomers despite the candidacies of several prominent politicians.[6] [7]
Runoff, March 2
| Candidate | Votes received | Percentage of votes cast | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Nagin | 76,639 | 58.74% | |
| Richard Pennington | 53,836 | 41.26% |
In the runoff, Nagin kept the base he had established in the primary, but expanded his support to win every majority-white precinct. Pennington maintained his base among lower and middle-class black voter, but was unable to pick up the support of many voters who had supported candidates defeated in the primary. Ray Nagin's runoff victory sent him to city hall, where he has served as New Orleans's mayor since May 2002.[8] [9]