Mayor-elect Helena Moreno said the guests at her inauguration ceremony Monday at the Saenger Theater will include state, national and international dignitaries.
But will former Vice President Kamala Harris — Moreno’s friend and political ally — be in attendance?
Given Harris’ schedule, it’s likely.
On Tuesday, one day after Moreno’s inauguration, Harris is scheduled to headline her own event at the Saenger Theater as part of her book tour for her 2024 presidential campaign memoir “107 Days.” Moreno will be in attendance, she said last week.
Harris announced that she was adding the New Orleans stop to her tour in a Dec. 10 press release. Two days later, at a press conference to unveil her plans for inauguration weekend, Moreno was asked whether that means Harris would attend her swearing-in.
Moreno wouldn’t say.
“I’ve heard from the Vice President off and on since the campaign … She’s someone certainly who I consider a friend,” Moreno said. “I think you can expect, you know, to see state dignitaries, national and even international dignitaries at the event. We’ll see who shows up.”
Moreno has had a close relationship with Harris since the pair met at a party in New Orleans in 2019 and bonded over a shared belief in a need to reform how the criminal justice system treats women.
Kamala Harris, center, poses for a photo with New Orleans City Council member Helena Moreno, right, and State Representative Ted James, left.
Moreno later co-chaired the Louisiana offshoot of Harris’ ill-fated 2019 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination alongside former state Rep. Ted James. Harris dropped out before Louisiana Democrats cast their ballots, though President Joe Biden later tapped Harris as his running mate.
Having a friend one heartbeat away from the presidency paid off for Moreno. After Hurricane Ida wrecked New Orleans’ power grid in 2021, Moreno traveled to D.C. to ask the Biden administration for assistance. That included a sit-down with Harris.
Moreno said she believes Harris’ support helped grease the wheels on federal grants that would help pay for grid repairs in the city.
Harris did so in response to a question from MSNBC host Rachel Maddow about whether Harris would endorse Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayor’s race.
Harris responded that she “supports the Democrat in the race.” But she said Mamdani “is not the only star” running for mayor in a U.S. city.
Moreno later went on to dominate the Oct. 11 primary, winning 55% of the vote. Moreno will be sworn in as the city’s 63rd mayor at a 9 a.m. ceremony Monday and will cap her first full day as mayor Tuesday with Harris’ book tour event.
Asked again during an extended interview last week whether Harris would appear at her inauguration, Moreno declined to say. A spokesperson for Harris did not respond to a request for comment.
Staff writer James Finn contributed to this report.
