How will race impact Atlanta's mayoral election?
New demographics
And while the city’s demographics have changed, the change may not translate into votes. The percentage of white residents has increased since 2000, but there’s little change in the percentage of white registered voters. About 37 percent of Atlanta’s registered voters identify themselves as white. The majority, 50.5 percent, still describe themselves as black, although the percentage has dropped by 5.5 percent since 2001.
Some black voters said they will support an African-American candidate this fall.
Southwest Atlanta resident Sabrina O’Neal, who is black, is not convinced a white candidate can win this year. She asked a friend one recent morning who she supports.
“The black guy,” the African-American woman said, referring to Reed. “I vote for my folks.”
The Norwood camp is banking on potential voters like Sylvia Johnston, an African-American woman who lives in Mozley Park and has a Norwood sign on her lawn. Johnston said Norwood has been more responsive than black elected officials to problems like trash on abandoned properties.
“If we can elect Obama, then we can put Mary Norwood in,” said Johnston.
With no candidate holding a commanding lead, Borders, Norwood and Reed have vigorously appealed for votes among all racial groups as well as the city’s influential lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Borders has been more willing to discuss race, saying Atlanta is “largely inattentive” to the subject. Reed, who’s highlighted Atlanta’s diversity when asked about race, plans a speech on the topic this week.
Norwood has preferred focusing her public safety message. Spikes and other candidates have attacked Norwood’s record, arguing she is part of the Atlanta bureaucracy that’s responsible for many of the city’s troubles.
The true test of Norwood’s chances will come in places like The Final Cut barbershop on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. It’s in city council district 10, an overwhelmingly African-American area in which city elections have traditionally been decided. Shirley Franklin won her largest share of votes here, 5,753, in 2001, the first of her two victorious mayoral campaigns.
On a recent Friday, the folks there said race won’t be a factor for them, but they thought it might be for others.
“Race is always going to be a factor,” said customer Bishop Brown, 43. “Will it be the predominate factor? Probably not. But it will be a factor.”
Sam Massell, the last white mayor, predicts race would be a major plotline in a runoff.
“The real battle will come in a runoff where you’ll have a black and white candidate,” said Massell, mayor from 1969 to 1973 and now president of the Buckhead Coalition. “That’s when the fight will be.”
AJC Opinion Page Article - Kyle Wingfield
2 comments:
LOL! It is funny to me how white people will conveniently play the race card when African-Americans vote for an African-American candidate over a white candidate. I never hear any mention from white people of race being a factor when white people vote for a white candidate over an African-American candidate, even though this happens FAR more often in this society than the reverse. You are basically implying that African-American people are not smart enough to vote for what is in their best interest and only see the color of the skin, using that as the main criteria with which they make their final decision. African-Americans will do what they usually do in any election and vote for the person who they believe it is in their best interest to vote for. In the history of this country, African-Americans have NEVER had a problem voting for a white person for public office. The proof of this is that there have been 43 presidential elections where African-Americans voted for white candidates. In all of those elections white presidents were put into office with the help of African-American voters. How many African-American governors have been elected in the state of Georgia by the white majority? I know the answer . . . do you? If not, look it up. I have relatives in states like Mississippi, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. How many African-American governors have been elected in those states by the white majority? I know the answer . . .do you? If not, look it up. But let an African-American majority elect an African-American over a white and all of a sudden race is a factor. White people PLEASE!!! LOL!!! Get a grip on reality and stop playing the RACE CARD! This country has 400 years of example I can give where whites have routinely and systematically NOT voted for an African-American just because they were African-American. Again, stop playing the RACE CARD!
You have no idea how much your line of reasoning is exact proof of what I am saying.
Please see my new post that fully articulates my argument and rebuts yours.
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