Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu Challenges Ray Nagin For Mayor in Big Easy

Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu entered the race for mayor of New Orleans citing new leadership is needed to "restore our credibility nationally and internationally."

The primary will enter unchartered territory for elections after more than half of its residents are still scattered across the country. Election activity is typically predictable and stable with a small portion acting as independents.

With voters scattered nobody is really sure what turnout will be like. They also aren’t sure what the political makeup is at this moment. Odds are its strongly Democrat but nobody will know until fall how much this political landscape has changed.

One thing is for sure. With a credible alternative, Ray Nagin is vulnerable to voters holding him accountable for his handling of Hurricane Katrina preparations.