Helena Moreno claims victory in New Orleans mayoral election

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Polls have officially closed and the seat of New Orleans Mayor has been claimed.

Helena Moreno was elected with 55% of the vote against her fellow candidates.

In total, Moreno earned 57,797 votes with Royce Duplessis behind her with about 23,474 votes.

Campaigning started off strong with Helena Moreno being the first to enter the race in December 2024, followed by Senator Royce Duplessis and Councilman Oliver Thomas.

Through early voting numbers, Political Analyst Silas Lee said “Voters are paying attention to candidates, their platforms, and they want to see some change in direction, accountability and services.”

In total, 39,621 votes were cast during the early voting period with women leading the turnout with 24,247.

Moreno will follow in the footsteps of Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who made history as the first Black female mayor elected to the seat, serving two terms starting in 2018.

During her two terms, Cantrell’s administration was able to secure funding for the city’s infrastructure, navigate efforts for the Hard Rock building collapse and COVID-19 pandemic, design a retention package for officers with the New Orleans Police Department and more.

Her last day in office is Jan. 12, 2026.

Moreno’s agenda consisted of a vision for public safety, economic development and jobs, restoring reliable basic services, a plan for rebuilding NORD from the ground up and a plan for New Orleans East.

Her motto was “It’s Time for a New Direction.”

In an interview with Good Morning New Orleans anchor LBJ, she explained what she brought to the mayoral race.

“I think what I bring is really a unifying perspective, bringing everybody together so that we can start really moving our city forward in a new direction. But ultimately, what I also bring is in my years of experience actually having a full understanding of the issues, being in the legislative branch, obviously, you know, we don’t run operations of the city, but we see what the issues are.”

Moreno will make history as the first Latina woman to be elected Mayor of New Orleans.

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