Indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson did well in predominantly black precincts while his only white primary challenger fared well with other whites -- but the racial polarization is less apparent among the other five black candidates.

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Incumbent William Jefferson faces former news anchor Helena Moreno in the fight for the 2nd District Congressional seat.

Saturday's Democratic primary put Jefferson, a nine-term incumbent and Louisiana's first black congressman since Reconstruction, in a November runoff with former reporter Helena Moreno. A breakdown of the vote by demographer Greg Rigamer showed that many whites voted for black candidates.

"You did have crossovers," Rigamer said Monday.

However, the question remains whether enough blacks will cross over to elect Moreno in the 2nd Congressional District, which is 62 percent black.

Rigamer's analysis groups precincts together based on percentage of black voters. Even in those areas where the percentage of black voters ran from zero to 10 percent, the combined total of votes cast for black candidates made up more than half of the total.

Once one of New Orleans' most powerful politicians, his support has diminished since news broke before the 2006 election that he was being investigated by federal authorities who said $90,000 in alleged bribe money was found hidden in his freezer.

He won re-election in 2006 but later was stripped of a powerful committee post. He was indicted last year and faces trial in December on bribery, money laundering and other charges.

He insists he still has a good relationship with other members of Congress and remains the best candidate to help his district, which covers most of New Orleans and part of Jefferson Parish, as it continues to recover from Hurricane Katrina's blow in 2005.

Jefferson's winning of more than 25 percent of the vote in Saturday's seven-person race proves his political durability, but the figures also show his vulnerability. In no area, even those where blacks make up 91 percent or more of the electorate, did he draw more than 39 percent of the vote.

Had there been fewer black candidates dividing the vote, Jefferson might have been defeated, Rigamer said. Moreno campaign spokesman Greg Buisson said this week that the campaign hopes to make inroads with black voters, especially black women, as it stresses Moreno's status as a Washington outsider.

Pollster and political analyst Silas Lee said Monday that race and gender won't be the only issues in the contest. He said Jefferson's experience and whether he still has clout in Washington will be a factor, as well as the good will he has built up during 28 years in New Orleans politics.

"It remains to be seen whether African-American voters will consolidate behind Jefferson," Lee said.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)