Indicted Jefferson could still win primary

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Despite facing a 16-count federal criminal indictment U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., has a good chance of winning a primary election, analysts say.

A grand jury has indicted Jefferson on charges including racketeering and soliciting bribes and he has virtually no campaign funds but a fractured field of primary election opponents in his New Orleans district may provide him with enough of an opening to emerge as one of two candidates in a runoff, Politico, a Washington publication, reported Tuesday.

Despite his legal troubles, Jefferson has considerable name recognition and small cadre of die-hard supporters. If he can garner enough votes in a crowded field in the Oct. 4 Democratic primary, he would likely gain a runoff against the only white candidate in the field, former local television reporter Helena Moreno.

"Unless whites decide to get behind another black candidate, she has a good shot at making it in the runoff, and she's the one person (Jefferson) can beat," John Maginnis, the publisher of a Louisiana political newsletter, told Politico. "Jefferson is one guy who has a loyal following and with the other black candidates split up, he will probably make it into the runoff."