Some New Orleans residents are hoping that the power of suggestion will put Brad Pitt on the mayoral ballot for the April, 2010 election. Pitt, who has a home in New Orleans, has no desire to be mayor and probably doesn’t even know he has the support of NoLa residents behind him, but a small number of guys are determined to see him run for office.

It started when Tulane professor Thomas Bayer planted a seed on the Internet mentioning 13 reasons why Brad Pitt should be the city’s next mayor — granted they’re all pretty superficial and tongue-in-cheek (one reason on the list is “Angelina Jolie would be First Lady of New Orleans”). Then came the “Brad Pitt for Mayor” T-shirts that local business owner Josh Harvey had printed up. So many media outlets picked up the story of these supportive residents (more than 1,000,000 search results are returned on Google when “13 Reasons Brad Pitt Should Be Mayor”) that they actually think they can get Brad to consider it. Pitt first set up camp in New Orleans while filming The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and donated money to rebuild housing in the 9th Ward of the city after Hurricane Katrina.

Though Pitt seems pretty busy jet-setting to settle down in NoLa for too long, it’s not crazy to consider him in office – if someone as divisive as Al Franken can win a senate seat, think of the votes someone as beloved as Brad could get. [Source: NoLa; Photo: Getty Images]