On Wednesday, March 9, Caddo Commissioner Mario Chavez launched his campaign for mayor.

Early that morning, he released a YouTube Vote Mario Chavez Announcement Video and launched a VOTEMARIOCHAVEZ.COM website.

He appeared on KEEL Radio with Robert and Erin at 7:10 a.m.

By 9 a.m., he had the top news stories on the websites of KTAL, KTBS and KSLA TV stations.

To say that Chavez launched a full-scale media campaign might just be an understatement. And to top it off, Chavez has said he will have campaign funds of $100,000 by April 1.

Much like his life story, Chavez is swimming upstream in local political waters.

A move with his family from Los Angeles and enrollment at Southwood High School led to trouble for Chavez. He associated with the wrong crowd, fathered a child out of wedlock and dropped out of school.

After finding his way to the Louisiana Youth Challenge program in Minden, Mario did an about-face, finishing first in his class. Thereafter, he served as a non-commissioned officer in the Army.

Mario is proud to say that he earned a GED diploma. And to his credit he has established a very successful business.

Chavez was an unknown he first ran for the Caddo Commission. He took office in January 2016 and served as the Commission president in 2020. His term ends in January 2024.

Chavez is a registered Republican. But he has not said what affiliation he will list on the ballot for mayor.

Chavez believes that Democrat-Republican party politics have not been good for Shreveport. Thus, it will not be surprising if he lists "No Party" or "Independent" on his mayoral ballot.

Chavez was the first Hispanic elected to political office in northwest Louisiana. Now he is the first Hispanic/brown candidate to run for Shreveport mayor. And if he wins the election as a "No Party" or "Independent," he will set another precedent.

Many politicos question the viability of his campaign for many reasons.

These include a perceived lack of a real base of support, difficulties in getting African American support, the challenges of running either as a "No Party" or "Independent" and the crowded of field of candidates including the incumbent.

One can expect what is for Shreveport an unorthodox campaign from Chavez, who is by all standards an unorthodox candidate.