In a tight run-off against the son of a white political dynasty, Mr Nagin continued the city's tradition of electing incumbents and African-American mayors. The last time New Orleans had a white mayor was in 1978.
"This is a great day for the city of New Orleans. This election is over, and it's time for this community to start the healing process," Mr Nagin said. "It's time for us to stop the bickering. It's time for us to stop measuring things in black and white and yellow and Asian. It's time for us to be one New Orleans."
With few policy differences between the two candidates, the election was shaped by Katrina. More than half of the city's population of 462,000 are still evacuees living outside the city, including some 200,000 registered voters.
But despite the dispersed population, the turnout of 37% was comparable to previous mayoral elections. Some evacuees were bussed in from other cities, while 25,000 early votes were cast by post and fax. The majority of residents forced to flee the city were African-American, leading to speculation that the white political establishment would take advantage of the demographic changes.
But despite his appeals to the black vote - he labelled New Orleans the "chocolate city" and stated that some white opponents would not have run had the black electorate remained at pre-Katrina levels - Mr Nagin won the election by crossing the racial divide. Results from Saturday's run-off showed that he won 80% of the black vote and 20% of the white vote. His opponent, Louisiana lieutenant governor Mitch Landrieu, saw his support among black voters decline from the 24% he achieved in the April primary.
The campaign took place against the backdrop of a city still devastated by last summer's storm, with wrecked houses still lining rubbish-strewn streets. Mr Landrieu touted himself as a well-connected politician who could get things done, in contrast to Mr Nagin, a political novice.
The disparity between the two candidates was reflected in their campaigns. While Mr Nagin ran a small campaign, invariably speaking without notes with unpredictable results, Mr Landrieu's operation was professional and well-financed. Between the primary and polling, Mr Nagin attracted just $542,000 (£370,000) in election funding, while Mr Landrieu raised more than $3m. But Mr Nagin was able to count on support from unexpected quarters, including two white candidates who ran against him in the primary.
Mr Nagin surprised some observers in his victory speech by thanking George Bush, whom he criticised for his response to last year's disaster. "You and I have probably been the most vilified politicians in the country. But ... I want to thank you for delivering for the citizens of New Orleans."
