Oliver Thomas
2022 - Present
2026
3
Oliver Thomas (Democratic Party) is a member of the New Orleans City Council in Louisiana, representing District E. He assumed office on January 10, 2022. His current term ends on January 12, 2026.
Thomas (Democratic Party) ran for election for Mayor of New Orleans in Louisiana. He lost in the primary on October 11, 2025.
2025 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the October 11, 2025, nonpartisan primary as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Eleven candidates are running in the nonpartisan primary for mayor of New Orleans on Oct. 11, 2025. Royce Duplessis (D), Helena Moreno (D), and Oliver Thomas (D) lead in media attention. Incumbent Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D), who was first elected in 2017, is term-limited.
According to NOLA.com’s Sophie Kasakove and James Finn, since New Orleans is a predominantly Democratic city in a state with a Republican trifecta, the three leading candidates "are trying to convince voters they’re best positioned to defend the city's autonomy and traditions, while still working to show they can reach across the aisle to advance the city’s agenda in one of the country’s most conservative states and at a time when federal threats to autonomy and funding loom."[1]
Duplessis was first elected to represent District 5 in the Louisiana Senate in a 2022 special election. He previously represented District 93 in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 2018 to 2022.
Duplessis said, "I have a bold vision for where New Orleans needs to go and what it will take to get us there. [...] As a parent, I want my seven-year-old daughter to inherit a city that is safe, prosperous, and equitable. For too long, we have settled for a community that survives from crisis to crisis. Our children deserve a city that thrives."[2]
Moreno was first elected to represent an at-large seat on the New Orleans City Council in 2017. She served as the Council’s president from 2019 to 2023, and then she became its vice president. Moreno previously represented District 93 in the state House from 2010 to 2018.
Moreno said, "Too many people are leaving New Orleans because our city doesn't work for them. But I'm ready to bring them home and keep you here. Enough of the same old ways. We do not have to settle for this. It's time for change. I have the experience and vision to make sure we have a city that works for everyone."[3]
Thomas was first elected to represent District E on the New Orleans City Council in 2021. He previously represented District B on the Council from 1994 to 2002 and an at-large seat from 2002 to 2007. Thomas resigned from the Council in 2007 and served 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to a federal bribery charge.[4][5]
Thomas said, "As a father, former businessman, and lifelong community advocate, I bring a unique combination of lived experience and leadership. I understand how city government should work because I’ve seen it. I know what it means to serve the people, not just in title, but in action, and I’m ready to lead a New Orleans that works for everyone, with no one left behind."[6]
Frank Janusa (R), Joseph Bikulege (Unaffiliated), Manny Chevrolet Bruno (Unaffiliated), Russell Butler (Unaffiliated), Eileen Carter (Unaffiliated), Renada Collins (Unaffiliated), Frank Scurlock (Unaffiliated), and Richard Twiggs Jr. (Unaffiliated) are also running in the election.
Joseph Bikulege (Unaffiliated) and Richard Twiggs Jr. (Unaffiliated) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate must win more than 50% of the vote to win the election outright. If no candidate received a majority of votes, the top two vote recipients from the primary would have advanced to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation. The general election would have taken place on Nov. 15, 2025, but was canceled.
Elections
2025
See also: Mayoral election in New Orleans, Louisiana (2025)
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of New Orleans
The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of New Orleans on October 11, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Helena Moreno (D) | 54.9 | 57,797 |
 | Royce Duplessis (D) | 22.3 | 23,474 | |
 | Oliver Thomas (D) | 18.6 | 19,619 | |
 | Frank Janusa (R) | 2.2 | 2,315 | |
 | Richard Twiggs Jr. (Unaffiliated)  | 0.8 | 806 | |
| Arthur Hunter (D) (Unofficially withdrew) | 0.3 | 357 | ||
| Eileen Carter (Unaffiliated) | 0.2 | 247 | ||
 | Manny Chevrolet Bruno (Unaffiliated) | 0.2 | 206 | |
 | Renada Collins (Unaffiliated) | 0.2 | 190 | |
| Joseph Bikulege (Unaffiliated) | 0.1 | 135 | ||
 | Frank Scurlock (Unaffiliated) | 0.1 | 99 | |
 | Russell Butler (Unaffiliated) | 0.1 | 81 | |
| Total votes: 105,326 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
Election campaign finance
Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Louisiana Board of Ethics. Click here to access those reports.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2021
See also: City elections in New Orleans, Louisiana (2021)
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
General election
General election for New Orleans City Council District E
Oliver Thomas defeated incumbent Cyndi Nguyen in the general election for New Orleans City Council District E on December 11, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Oliver Thomas (D) | 56.7 | 7,109 |
 | Cyndi Nguyen (D) | 43.3 | 5,439 | |
| Total votes: 12,548 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for New Orleans City Council District E
The following candidates ran in the primary for New Orleans City Council District E on November 13, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Oliver Thomas (D) | 44.7 | 6,486 |
| ✔ | | Cyndi Nguyen (D) | 40.8 | 5,915 |
| John Bagneris (D) | 4.9 | 715 | ||
| Michon Copelin (D) | 4.8 | 691 | ||
| Vanessa Gueringer (D) | 3.8 | 544 | ||
 | Aaron Miller (D) | 1.0 | 147 | |
| Total votes: 14,498 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Oliver Thomas did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Oliver Thomas did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
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Candidate Mayor of New Orleans |
Officeholder New Orleans City Council District E |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ NOLA.com, "How would the New Orleans mayoral candidates work with Gov. Jeff Landry, state?" September 1, 2025
- ↑ Verite News, "Royce Duplessis," accessed September 25, 2025
- ↑ YouTube, "A City that Works for Everyone," August 21, 2025
- ↑ WWL, "Oliver Thomas is a candidate for New Orleans mayor; here's what to know about him," September 8, 2025
- ↑ The New York Times, "New Blow to New Orleans in Council Member’s Plea," August 14, 2007
- ↑ Verite News, "Oliver Thomas," accessed September 25, 2025
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