It's crunch time for Democratic candidates in the 2nd Congressional District. Eyewitness News Political Analyst Clancy DuBos says, it's anybody's game.

WWL-TV / File Photo

Congressman William Jefferson.

"Half the race comes down to Saturday -- turnout. Every candidate by now should've identified where his or her voters are, and they have to mount a tremendous effort on Saturday to remind their voters to get out and vote," DuBos said.

This Saturday’s Democratic election pits six challengers against embattled incumbent William Jefferson. James Carter, Troy Carter, Byron Lee, Helena Moreno, Cedric Richmond, and Kenya Smith are all vying for the job in Washington.

While Jefferson continues his legal battle against bribery charges, analyst Doctor Silas Lee says he still has the advantage of name recognition.

"A lot of voters are undecided. They need more information about their respective challengers. That means they need to inform voters as to who they are and their platforms, and for that to happen, it means they definitely need to purchase more TV and radio advertising time," Lee said.

The ads are already flying, as candidates push to gain new ground. They know the stakes are high, with the area continuing to recover from hurricanes, and the national economy struggling.

For William Jefferson, the strategy is different this time around. DuBos says the incumbent's war chest isn't what it used to be.

"He depleted it, and ran it into debt two years ago. He's got some money, but he has had to wait until this last week to really get on television and radio and get his message out," DuBos said.

Entering the final week, analysts point out that polls have been inconsistent – seemingly leaving the door open for all seven Democrats.

"No one knows how this is going to shake out, primarily because you have some candidates, they have support based on their respective districts that they represent, which means they have to expand their base of support," Lee said.

DuBos agrees, saying, "This has been the toughest political field for this district since 1990, when Bill Jefferson and Marc Morial both ran and made it to the runoff and had a knock-down drag out runoff. Whoever makes it to the runoff, it'll be another one of those kitchen sink kind of battles."