Posted on 07/19/2006 10:01:36 AM PDT by 300magnum
ATLANTA - Two of Georgia's most controversial political candidates got a cool reception from the voters, who rejected former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed and left U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney facing a runoff.
Reed was unable to overcome his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and conceded defeat to state Sen. Casey Cagle in Tuesday's Republican primary for lieutenant governor.
McKinney drew less than 50 percent of the vote in her re-election bid, her first since a highly publicized scuffle with a Capitol Hill police officer.
She edged her leading challenger, former county commissioner Hank Johnson, by fewer than 1,500 votes — 28,507 to 27,049 — and will face him again in an Aug. 8 runoff.
During her turbulent 12 years in Washington, McKinney, the first black woman elected to Congress from Georgia, has been criticized for suggesting, among other things, that the Bush administration had advance knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The latest attention-grabber was her March scuffle with an officer who had stopped her when he didn't recognize her as she entered a House office building. A federal grand jury declined to indict the six-term congresswoman, but she had to apologize on the House floor.
The winner of the runoff between McKinney and Johnson, who is also black and has roots in McKinney's core constituency, will face Republican nominee Catherine Davis in November's election in the heavily Democratic district.
"The battle's engaged and I intend to win," said McKinney early Wednesday.
Reed was making his first bid for elective office with Tuesday's primary after working for years as a behind-the-scenes campaign strategist and leading the Christian Coalition and the state Republican Party.
He vied with Cagle for the GOP nomination in a primary race that appeared closer than expected in recent months because of Reed's work with Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to fraud and corruption earlier this year.
In attack ads and televised debates, Cagle hammered at Reed's connections to Abramoff, and asked whether Reed could face criminal charges for accepting more than $5.3 million from two Indian tribes. Reed has not been charged with a crime and has said repeatedly that he regrets the work he did with Abramoff. Reed said he was vindicated by a two-year Senate probe.
"If good decent people offer themselves in this state for public office, we can make this state a better place," Cagle said as he declared victory.
An upbeat Reed told a crowd of a few dozen cheering supporters that, although his candidacy had ended, his conservative message will live on.
"Stay in the fight. Don't retreat. And our values will win in November," he said.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Cagle had 56 percent of vote, or 224,766 votes, to Reed's 44 percent, or 175,980 votes. On the Democratic side, former state Sen. Greg Hecht and former Department of Human Resources Commissioner Jim Martin were headed into a runoff after neither received more than 50 percent of the vote.
Angela Moore, a novice whose rap campaign song drew attention for its mind-numbing repetition of "vote for Miss Angela" and "vote or die," also lost her bid Tuesday night for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state.
In the Georgia governor's race, Gov. Sonny Perdue easily won the Republican primary and will face Democrat Mark Taylor in November.
In Alabama, George Wallace Jr. — son of the legendary Alabama governor and presidential candidate — lost his bid for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor to Luther Strange, a first-time candidate.
With 99 percent of the precincts reporting statewide, the unofficial count showed Strange with 55 percent, or 108,227 votes, and Wallace with 89,644 votes, or 45 percent.
Geez, I'm getting all twitchy just thinking that McKinney might get the boot!
I wonder how McKinney will do in the run-off.
I'm split about this. Part of me thinks that a good chunk of her supporters won't bother to show up in the run-off and the other part thinks that a great many of her supporters are black racists and assorted nutters who religiously follow McKinney anywhere.
Did she have puppet strings attached and a voice coming from behind the curtain while mouthing that line? She's not nearly articulate enough to come up with it on her own.
Your second option is probably the correct one. She lost her re-election bid after 9-11, but then they re-elected her.
I guess that she is articulate whenever she doesn't mouth about racism, money from radical muslims, and crazy conspiracy theories. That would mean, in politics, 30% of the time.
Get the boot only to have another Dem represent that safe Dem district. Now the Cagle victory may indeed galvanize voters to look for new, scandal free office holders. Perdue should win and I like the fact that this new guy in Ala. Luther won . I fear McKinney will be with us unless some crossover Pubs somehow vote for her Dem opponent.
His message being, "Those are my principles! And if you don't them, well, I've got others."
Actually, having McKinney in the House is a huge plus for Repblicans. Every single time she opens her mouth she embarrasses the Democrat Party.
Let her stay.
Elect the Republican
yitbos
Good point.
Bags of rocks like her sitting across the isle may help the Pubbies but doesn't do much for the country.
Never had much use for the "2 party system", but don't have a better answer since we can't seem to abolish them!
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