Our first Hispanic mayor, a white Latina, was born into money in Mexico and raised largely in Houston.
The demographics of New Orleans didn't shift; New Orleans didn't turn into The Bronx, and the city is still predominantly Black. She largely won because she made herself visible, she got in front of every camera she could, managed to get close to Kamala Harris, appeared at the DNC, and as LaToya Cantrell's popularity started to dip during the pandemic, she took advantage of it and was largely looked at as the presumptive frontrunner from as early as four years ago.
She was a popular politician who managed to win over everybody and secure a first-round victory over two native Black male candidates.
Her detractors are worried that she will turn New Orleans into "Little Mexico." I don't personally see that happening because we are in another Trump era, and we have a MAGA extremist for a governor, and trying to fight, what would be a largely time-wasting and fruitless fight against both of them on behalf of illegal Hispanics when your city is still over 50% Black is not going to be politically smart for her, especially when you consider the shifting attitudes towards Latinos from Black people after the 2024 election.
She managed to get about 80% of the white vote and 30% of the Black vote. The Black male candidates, Oliver Thomas and Royce Duplessis, probably split the Black vote, because Oliver probably didn't want to believe that his time had passed, and Royce entered too late.
The city is facing a budget crisis. Moreno was on the city council as its president/vice president for the last 8 years and is already largely escaping criticism, while the buck does stop with the Mayor, it's not like she didn't have a major say and control and I'm wondering if this is how the media is going to handle her going forth.
Also, finally, this is the 3rd time that New Orleans has failed to produce a native born Black mayor. Mitch Landrieu was born in New Orleans but is white, LaToya Cantrell is Black but was born in Los Angeles, and Helena Moreno is white and Latina and was born in Mexico.
This is obviously a side effect of Black brain drain in New Orleans and Louisiana as a whole.