NEW ORLEANS -- The "Brad Pitt for Mayor" campaign is picking up steam.

New Orleans television station WDSU has learned there's a movement in the Crescent City trying to get the actor elected.

Pitt made the Best Picture Oscar nominated film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" in the city and his non-profit organization is "Making it Right" in the Ninth Ward. But will these accomplishments be enough to make him mayor of the Crescent City?

"I'll take a 'Brad Pitt for Mayor' T-shirt please," said Melissa Neuman, a tourist from Boston.

She stopped by Storyville T-shirt shop along Magazine, which is creating a story of its own.

"Totally cute, I'm really excited about my 'Brad Pitt for Mayor' T-shirt," said Neuman.

The T-shirts are the hot-ticket in town. A Tulane University professor started the idea this spring.

"Professor Thomas Bayer made a homemade T-shirt and wore it to Jazz Fest and then came into the shop and said, 'You should make this T-shirt. This could really start a movement," said Josh Harvey,comma the owner of Storyville.

So they started making t-shirts and before long, they were making headlines.

"It was in a British paper then an Indian paper, then Chris Rose picked up on it with the Times Picayune and wrote about the international story which made it a big local story," said Harvey.

It's now drawing thousands of hits on Facebook and Twitter. What started off as a crazy idea, is getting crazy response, especially now.

"Brad Pitt is someone who's really done a lot for the city of New Orleans and the more people are talking about it. It sounds less and less crazy, especially with Gov. Schwarzenegger and Al Franken about to be sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Minnesota," said Harvey.

The residency issue could be a problem, but not if the city charter were changed. Besides, fans said who cares.

"He looks good on a T-shirt," said Neuman with a laugh.

Supporting the cause is half the fun. "It's very unique -- an unusual souvenir. I was not expecting to buy one," she said.

T-shirts are $20. A portion of T-shirt sales goes to the Make it Right Foundation.

If nothing else the movement generating tremendous press for New Orleans.

A Google search of "Brad Pitt for Mayor" currently yields 1 million search results, including a Web site with the top reasons why he should be elected.

Pitt was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for playing the title character in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," about a man who ages backwards.