Helena Moreno elected mayor of New Orleans | Politics & Elections

City Council Vice President Helena Moreno will become the next mayor of New Orleans, taking over from outgoing Mayor LaToya Cantrell in January.

Moreno defeated state Sen. Royce Duplessis and City Council member Oliver Thomas, taking in over 54 percent of the vote, more than enough to avoid a runoff.

Just after 9:30 p.m., dozens of Moreno supports, including many politicians, piled onto the stage at the Civic Theatre. Former U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond introduced her as “mayor elect” for the first time. She came out, shaking hands and hugging everyone, bringing a young girl from the audience to join them on stage.

“New Orleans, you are my everything,” Moreno told the enthusiastic crowd. “I am overwhelmed.”

“Tonight is a good night,” she said. “No doubt about it, we are definitely now moving forward toward change … toward becoming a city that works, toward becoming a city where we can all thrive, where opportunities are not just for some but for everyone.”

“We have fought hard to get here, but I’ll tell you this, I really hope that you are not weary, because the hard work is actually just ahead,” she said.

“Let’s face it, we really are at a pivotal point right now. We are losing population fast because of lack of opportunity, lack of affordability, and because it is just too hard to live here. So bottom line: We cannot afford to fail, and I will not fail you.”

“We are a diverse city that gives and offers so much, but sometimes it feels like we are left with very little. It is my responsibility as mayor to now grow opportunity in our city.”

“We have seen some division during this campaign season, but as you all know, I’ve always been someone who has been about bringing people together and about building broad coalitions. So tonight, let’s come together.”

“I just want to make sure that you all so fully understand that while some may see a broken city, I actually see so many solutions. I want you who’ve been just so frustrated to just hold on. Just hold on

Over at the Lakefront Airport, DJ Nesby Phipps kept the hits coming, playing upbeat remixes and tracks by Stevie Wonder, Prince and Snoop Dogg while a crowd waited for the election results to come in.

Despite Duplessis’ loss, the mood at his campaign party was far from somber. When the state senator took to the podium shortly after 10 p.m. he was flanked by his wife, Krystal, his young daughter and several family members.

In a humble concession speech, he emphasized the importance of accepting election results in a democratic process.

“Anytime you sign up and you put your name on the ballot and you go out there to ask people to vote for you, you have to be willing and ready and prepared to accept the outcome. Tonight I accept that outcome, despite that it’s not the outcome I wanted,” he said.

While he was quick to criticize Moreno on the campaign trail, there was a clear change in his tone on election night, at least to the public, as he congratulated the council vice president on her historic win.

“We move forward as a city together, because that’s what this has always been about, this has always been about the people of this city,” he said.

One of Duplessis’ supporters, transgender rights activist and House of Tulip founder Mariah Moore, told Gambit that she was supporting Duplessis’ because of his “unwavering support and advocacy of the LGBTQ community, particularly black trans women,” she said. ”Royce showed up for us repeatedly, Royce has always been willing to be called in, he has always been willing to be educated, and he’s always been willing to convene.”

Another Duplessis supporter, Demetrice Phipps (no relation to Nesby) said she was disappointed in the outcome of the election, but she also acknowledged that he was a late addition to the race and that she thinks in the future he’ll be able to build more momentum.

She says she would happily vote for him again in four years.

“If he runs again in four years, he’s got it,” she said.

Moreno announced her run last December, months before any other major candidate jumped in, and she maintained a strong lead throughout the campaign, both in the polls and in fundraising, that attacks from her competitors couldn’t soften.

Polling consistently showed her hovering just around the 50% plus one vote threshold she needed to win outright. But Moreno outperformed those numbers Saturday. While final numbers won’t be known for some time, by 9:30 pm Moreno had more than 54 percent of the vote.

Moreno is finishing up her second term as a citywide council member and has touted her role in relocating Gordon Plaza residents off toxic soil, starting redevelopment of Lincoln Beach and getting improvements to the city’s power grid after Hurricane Ida.

Before joining the council, Moreno was a state representative from 2010-2018, where she was best known for her work on legislation aimed at helping sexual assault and domestic violence victims.

Along the campaign trail, she’s promised to make city government deliver basic services. To do so, she says she’ll hire a team of 100 workers to fix the streets, overhaul Safety and Permits and devote resources to New Orleans East, like dedicated city employees and a satellite City Hall office.

Moreno will follow Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who has become deeply unpopular during her second term and who is facing federal corruption charges.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Mathew Willard defeated Rep. Delisha Boyd easily to take Moreno’s at-large seat on the council.

Boyd is facing serious questions about her campaign finances following reports by Gambit and The Times-Picayune. Gambit found that she failed to report more than $6,000 in donations in 2024 and that her daughter Kristen had leadership positions in and were getting paid by both the campaign and an outside PAC.

The Times-Picayune reported that her campaign was actually paying a company owned by Boyd and her daughter called DKR Real Estate Investments for “marketing services,” though it was listed as a different company in the reports. Boyd told the paper she used campaign money to pay for advertisements for her real estate business, which could violate campaign finance laws.

Council President JP Morrell also won easily Saturday evening. Though his top challenger, the Rev. Gregory Manning, was able to secure notable endorsements, including from the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee and state Rep. Mandie Landry, he didn’t manage to outperform polls.

Morrell was busy this season. He’s fended off attacks from Manning over his campaign donations and a statement of peace the council put out responding to the Israeli siege in Gaza, while also taking to social media to defend Moreno and the rest of the council from criticisms from Duplessis over tensions between the council and mayor.