NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans city councilmember Helena Moreno was elected mayor Saturday in the race to succeed LaToya Cantrell, who is ending a turbulent second term shadowed by federal corruption charges .
Moreno, 48, secured an outright victory with 55% of the vote with all precincts reporting, according to preliminary results from the Louisiana Secretary of State. The Democrat avoided a runoff in a wide field by beating out Oliver Thomas, a fellow councilmember, and state Sen. Royce Duplessis. She will take office in January.
Cantrell, who could not run again because of term limits, was the first woman mayor in the city’s 300-year history and later won reelection. But a rocky second term included clashes with City Council members and surviving a recall effort in 2022.
In Augus