C. Ray Nagin
PER
Nagin C. Ray Nagin
No candidate appears to be making a more explicit racial bid than the incumbent mayor, C. Ray Nagin, the one major black candidate in the jostling, Hurricane Katrina-inspired crowd. An unknown executive in 2002, elected largely through white support and for years the target of sharp criticism among blacks here as failing to favor black-owned companies, Mr. Nagin has been all but abandoned by the white businessmen who enthusiastically supported him the first time. As a result, he has remade himself as a black candidate, with his provocative speech. Mr. Nagin may well be able to count on a strong lift from racial solidarity.