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Hillar Moore

There might be three candidates vying to replace Doug Moreau as district attorney, but the race is shaping up as a showdown between Hillar Moore, a criminal defense lawyer who spent 12 years as an investigator in the DA’s office, and Dan Claitor, a private practice attorney and former Orleans Parish prosecutor.

Also running is Jonathan Holloway, though there’s speculation he could ultimately drop out of the race. Political insiders suggest Holloway, who has connections to Claitor, qualified to take votes away from Moore, a fellow Democrat.

What’s interesting is that Moore and Claitor have been on the campaign trail for nearly two years following speculation that Moreau would retire from office before his term expired. Yet Moreau, who has served as DA for 17 years, didn’t leave early and even considered running for another term before opting against it just before qualifying ended.

Dan Claitor

So with the popular Moreau officially retiring from office, who will he be supporting?

“I am not sure,” he says. “I want to have some involvement at the appropriate time, but I don’t want to have an undue influence on the outcome.”

Moreau, who is friends with the Moore and Claitor families, might be on the sidelines, but it’s clear who his staff is supporting.

First Assistant District Attorney Prem Burns entered the race but quickly withdrew, throwing her support behind Moore. In part, her decision was reached after a private meeting with Moore, who said he wasn’t planning significant operational changes to the office. Moreover, multiple sources within the DA’s office said “numerous” staff members would be volunteering time to assist Moore with his election bid.

Claitor, the lone Republican in the race, says he intends to make significant changes to what he terms is a dysfunctional DA’s office.

Both candidates have strong financial backing, and Roy Fletcher, a political consultant working with Claitor, says the race will be expensive. “I would think you’ll see about $1.5 million spent on this one,” he says.

Look for that money to start flowing freely soon—especially if Holloway remains in the race—because, as Fletcher says, Claitor’s best shot is to avoid a November runoff. Says Fletcher, “With everything involved in the presidential race, I expect Democrats will turn out in large numbers on that day.”

For information on other races in the upcoming election, click the links below.

Mayor

Metro Council

Capital Improvement Plan

U.S. Senate

6th Congressional District