Despite a looming federal corruption trial, more campaign debt than cash and relatives who have tarnished the family name, Louisiana congressman William Jefferson is seeking a 10th term.

His re-election bid begins Oct. 4 with the Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District, an area that covers southeast Louisiana, including most of New Orleans. Jefferson is fighting his indictment, but he still must overcome the bad headlines.

The number of opponents in the primary might be one thing in his favor. There are six others vying for the party's nomination, and most of the candidates have enough name recognition and political experience to split up the votes, possibly forcing a runoff in November.

At least one pollster found that Jefferson could collect as much as 15 percent of the vote, good enough for second.

"He'll do better than that," Florida-based poll researcher Verne Kennedy said. Jefferson still has a strong, if diminished core of support, that likely will show up for him in what is expected to be a low-turnout race, Kennedy said.

Jefferson has overcome bad publicity before to win re-election. Two years ago, he weathered news of raids on his offices and homes, including the oft-repeated story that federal agents found $90,000 in alleged bribe money hidden in his freezer. Despite the scandal that now overshadows his political and personal life, he beat an up-and-coming state lawmaker with 57 percent of the vote. He argued during that campaign that his seniority and clout were invaluable to a city recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

Since then, however, he has been stripped of a powerful committee post and indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia on allegations that he took bribes, laundered money and misused his congressional office for business dealings in Africa.

Meanwhile, his brother, Mose, and sister, Betty, a New Orleans tax assessor, have been indicted on unrelated federal fraud charges in New Orleans. Both are accused of using family-owned companies to funnel federal and state grant money to themselves for personal use. Another sister, Brenda Foster, pleaded guilty in June to helping conceal the alleged scheme.

The allegations and conviction may be too much for the congressman this time, according to one political observer.

"That's going to be a bigger albatross than a lot of pundits are assuming," said Edward Chervenak, political science professor at the University of New Orleans.

Of the six opponents Jefferson faces, four are current or former officeholders with proven political track records, one is a former television reporter with name recognition and the other is a former high-profile aide to New Orleans' mayor.

If no candidate gets a majority of votes in the primary, the top two finishers head to a Nov. 4 runoff.

The winner of the Democratic nomination is heavily favored in the general election. But there is yet another complication lurking for Jefferson if he wins the nomination. The general election is Dec. 6, four days after his trial is scheduled to start.