Eric Vickers, a longtime civil rights lawyer and member of the black political establishment, said it would be preferable if there were a single mayoral candidate for black voters to rally around.

But that’s not the current reality.

The deciding factor, Vickers said, is not how many black candidates are in the race, but how many of them are viable.

Since launching his campaign in August, Reed has played up his ability to win. As aldermanic president since 2007, Reed says he’s shown he can win citywide.

He also boasts name recognition, having run against Slay in 2013. Jones, a former state representative, also has won citywide, and many believe she has captured the attention of the city’s young progressives.

French, meanwhile, boasts local name recognition and a national following because of his visibility in Ferguson, while Boyd has some degree of name recognition as an alderman and has run for citywide offices.

Should Nasheed enter the race, it would inject another big name into the field. She has shown an ability to raise money and win elections for nearly a decade.

Frequent candidate and former Alderman Jimmie Matthews, who is African-American, also has filed to run.