African-American candidates to figure in Georgia and Alabama governor's races
April 3, 2009 — A prominent Georgia Democrat threw his hat in the ring Wednesday for next year’s governor’s race, while in Alabama, another Democrat with considerable vote potential took his name out of contention. The upshot is to make it more likely both states could have African-American Democrats at the top of the ticket next year. Coming as it did on one of the newsiest legislative days of the year, the word that Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker plans to file the paperwork shortly to start raising money for the race caught many observers off guard. Former state adjutant general David Poythress is the only announced Democrat in the race, but most of the speculation, especially in recent days, has centered around former Gov. Roy Barnes. Barnes is said to be still considering what would be his fourth governor’s race, and could take until midyear to decide. But having an African-American who has won three statewide elections in the race deprives the former Democratic governor of the leisure he formerly enjoyed in making up his mind. Ironically, Barnes reportedly was meeting this week with a delegation of black leaders, including former UN Ambassador Andrew Young, who wanted to encourage him to run. The meeting was scheduled before Baker’s announcement. One key to Baker’s success could be how well a law-and-order campaign will play among African-American voters. As the state’s chief legal officer, Baker angered many in his base by opposing the release of Genarlow Wilson, serving a mandatory 10-year sentence for consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 17, and his defense of the state’s voter ID law. (Baker did split with Gov. Sonny Perdue earlier this year, however, refusing to write an amicus brief in a US Supreme Court case challenging Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.) With crime on the rise as the economy sours, Baker is hoping an anti-crime message will play well among voters of all races. One interesting question is whether former US Sen. Zell Miller, who’s friendly with Baker, will openly support him, especially if Barnes gets in. In recent years, Miller has mostly endorsed Republicans. At about the same time this news was spreading around the Capitol halls in Atlanta, Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom Jr. was informing the Alabama Senate in Montgomery that he plans to run for that post again. That eliminated from the governor’s race the most powerful potential primary challenger to US Rep. Artur Davis. Davis won’t remain the only Democrat in the race for long. State Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks reportedly will announce his candidacy in a series of press conferences today, and there are reports state Sen. Roger Bedford of Russellville, is interested in the race now that Folsom is out of it. Bedford, who lost a 1998 US Senate race to Jeff Sessions, could be a “formidable” candidate, one lobbyist said. But he doesn't have the same profile as Folsom, a former governor and the son of a governor. He would also have to peel off some African-American votes from Davis to win, some observers believe. For a long time, Democrats in the South have talked about what percentage of the white vote – sometimes as little as 25 or 30 percent – they need to win general elections. In these races, you’re beginning to hear talk about what percentage of the black vote a white Democratic candidate would need to win in a primary race with an African-American Democrat – by one estimate in the Alabama race, about 15-20 percent. Another question is whether President Obama would get directly involved in either race. But the biggest question is whether Democrats in either state can come back from a hotly-contested primary to defeat their Republican opponent -- whose identity, in both Georgia and Alabama, remains cloudy. |
