With just a fraction of results in, WWL-TV called Joe Lopinto the winner in the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s race over former Harry Lee aide John Fortunato.
[UPDATE: Jefferson Parish: Cynthia Lee-Sheng is 1st woman elected president; Sheriff Joe Lopinto re-elected]
The race was a rematch of the 2018 special election, won by Lopinto in a close race.
The 2018 election was a taut affair that many believe swung on a Fortunato slip on television when he voiced support for Parish President Mike Yenni, who had been tainted by a sexting scandal.
But with a year in office to cement his position, Lopinto easily outraised Fortunato, who registered to run for the office at the last minute and was running a shoestring campaign.
New Orleans-area and Louisiana election coverage: Live updates, analysis; polls closed at 8 p.m.
Once the polls close in Louisiana on Saturday night, results will begin to come in for statewide and New Orleans-area races in one of the busi…
In early voting returns from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website, Lopinto earned 62 percent of the vote, compared to Fortunato’s 33 percent. A third candidate, retired shipbuilder Anthony Bloise, had five percent.
The result was a sharp contrast from 18 months ago, when Lopinto and Fortunato waged a tight battle over who was best positioned to carry on the legacy of the department. Fortunato, 68, as he did this year as well, harkened back to legendary Sheriff Harry Lee, for whom he worked closely. Lopinto, on the other hand, stressed his qualifications as an attorney and former legislator and chief deputy.
The two have also battled over the safety situation in the parish: Fortunato has pointed to recent high profile shootings and insisted that violent crime is going up; while Lopinto has said that violent crime in trending downward despite the recent well-publicized incidents.
The full results from the Secretary of State’s website can be found here.
Follow Faimon A. Roberts III on Twitter @faimon.
