WASHINGTON — Louisiana viewers who tune into CNN's Democratic presidential debates this week will likely see a familiar face: Mitch Landrieu.

The former New Orleans mayor and ex-lieutenant governor of Louisiana won't be on the crowded stage with the candidates, however. He's debuting in his new role as a political commentator for CNN.

"Great to be here," Landrieu, a Democrat whose name was floated as a potential contender for the party's nomination just months ago, said during his first appearance from Detroit on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the first night of the debates.

Landrieu joins the likes of former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich on the cable news channel's lineup of high-profile politicians-turned-commentators.

CNN didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about Landrieu's new gig.

Landrieu formally announced it before he first hit the airwaves.

Proud to join @CNNPolitics as a @CNN Political Commentator just in time for the #DemDebate. — Mitch Landrieu (@MitchLandrieu) July 30, 2019

“The most important thing is to find someone who will beat President Trump, right? At the end of the day that should be everybody’s focus.” Landrieu said, sizing up the large Democratic field that will debate over two nights.

Landrieu specifically named Vice President Joe Biden, whose last debate performance was panned by some pundits, and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, as being attractive candidates at this point.

“The thing I keep wanting to tell the candidates, is listen to the voters," Landrieu said. "(Commentators) have opinions about who did well and who didn’t. But evidently from the last debate it didn’t hurt (Biden) very much.”

Landrieu, 58, who finished his second term as mayor in 2018, left office amid speculation that he was considering a presidential bid.

He began his political career in the Louisiana House in the 1980s and built a reputation as a moderate Democrat. His sister, Mary Landrieu, represented Louisiana in the U.S. Senate from 1997 to 2015, and his father, Moon Landrieu, was New Orleans mayor from 1970 to 1978.

Mitch Landrieu elevated his national profile in recent years by defending the push to remove Jim Crow-era monuments in New Orleans in 2017. He released a memoir, “In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History,” the following year.

He has been particularly critical of Trump’s handling of race issues. On Tuesday, he criticized the president’s recent statements denigrating the Baltimore congressional district represented in Congress by Rep. Elijah Cummings, who is black.

“We’ve never in the history of America had a president that’s given voice to the worst instincts that some people in America feel,” he said.

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