Posted on 04/23/2012 7:57:57 AM PDT by Prov1322
Former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney is preparing to run for her old 4th Congressional district seat on the Green Party ticket.
Andy Manis, AP Cynthia McKinney, a former congresswoman, ran for president as the Green Party candidate in 2008.
McKinney was defeated by 4th district incumbent Hank Johnson in 2006 after serving six terms in Congress and has kept a low profile since returning to Atlanta from the San Francisco area where she moved in 2007.
Since February she has made a few public appearances in her old district but stayed low key with her plans. She filed paperwork April 2 with the Federal Elections Commission declaring her intention to run.
Tracked down at her mothers home Thursday by a reporter from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, McKinney declined to comment and ordered the reporter off the property.
Last week she was recruiting volunteers to collect the 18,860 signatures of registered voters shell need by August 6 to get on the newly redrawn 4th district ballot, according the Georgia Secretary of States office.
A lightning-rod political figure, McKinney, 55, was defeated in 2006 by Johnson after a much-publicized run-in with a U.S. Capitol police officer and her accusations that the Bush administration may have known beforehand about the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In 2008 she won the Green Party nomination and ran for president. McKinney and running mate Rosa Clemente were on the ballot in 31 states, but not Georgia.
The party had hoped with McKinney's name recognition to get at least 5% of the vote so the party would automatically be on the 2012 ballot in all 50 states. She got less than 1 percent of the vote.
In the summer of 2009, McKinney made international news for her involvement in the Free Gaza Movement, during which she was detained after a ship she was aboard carrying humanitarian supplies was stopped by the Israeli Navy for allegedly running a blockade.
Back in Atlanta, McKinneys associates in the Green Party which she joined in 2007 after quitting the Democratic Party have closed ranks in support.
Her former Green Party campaign manager, Hugh Esco, said Wednesday he could not confirm McKinney plans to run, as first reported by the Atlanta Progressive News. I would call that report a wild rumor, said Esco.
Frank Redding, a friend of McKinneys late father, former state legislator Billy McKinney, who has known Cynthia since childhood, said Thursday hes not surprised to hear shes back in her old district and making the rounds for a political rebirth.
Shes been around and been more visible and I believe shes going to make a run, though Ive not had a personal conversation with her, said Redding. But anywhere she runs in South Dekalb County shes going to be viable.
The new District 4 contains about two-thirds of DeKalb County including the cities of Stone Mountain and Scottdale, and portions of Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale counties.
Other former supporters question whether McKinney has the resources or enough remaining clout and presence in the district she left six years ago to get the signatures needed to get on the ballot.
Thats going to be the real challenge for her, said John Evans, who handled McKinneys last congressional campaign, in 2006.
Jan Selman, a Decatur political consultant and former McKinney supporter who backed Hank Johnson in 2006, said she still supports Johnson, and doubts most voters will "get off the rail" and vote Green Party, no matter the candidate.
She said she would never underestimate McKinney. "She's a very determined person," said Selman. But we need someone in the 4th district with tenure. Hanks been in there three terms. I cant see that changing right now.
I would say that she is a prime example of what happens when there is no brain to engage before putting one's mouth in gear.
“12 years ago a black GOP female candidate came within 6 points of McKinney”
But in 2012 the GOP has an excellent black, female conservative Republican running in GA-04: Catherine Davis. http://www.catherinedavis4congress.com/ It would take a miracle for her to win the general election, especially with Obama on the ballot increasing black turnout in that district (Davis would need each of Hank Johnson and Cindy McKinney to get between 30%-33% and get 34% herself, in a district that, as redrawn, gave McCain less than 20% IIRC), but at least our odds of winning are not 0% anymore.
Even a raving nutbag like McKinney couldn’t live in Pelosi’s district for too long.
Back, and every bit as crazy a ‘psycho bitch’, as she has always been
"..look at that shinny thang"
“DNC” + “moron” = “oxymoron.”
She wants to keep feeding at the public trough...
Hahaha, good one.
I just had a “procedure” and my doctor looked for her supporters. The scattered when exposed to light and nothing was found in the search!
Like insects to a picnic, they just never seem to go away
I'm in that no-man's land just west of Tucker, inside the perimeter. We're considered North DeKalb but the 6th hasn't made its way down here yet, but it's coming. They initially had drawn the 6th southern line down LaVista, which would have moved me, but the usual racist suspects went berserk and so they moved it up two miles.
The woman is unemployable. Probably cannot even get job as a lobbyist as no one she has ever met would ever open a door to her again.Eventually she will end up on the welfare rolls.
Hard to believe this NUT JOB hasn’t been committed YET.
Clearly, you haven't heard Rep. Bobby Rush speak. Bigger moron than Hank and Cynthia put together.
"Hey! I resent that remark!"
If that isn’t the classic look of an ACORN/crack ho, I don’t know what is.
Green Party = FAIL.
It is the "last resort" option for losers and Nit Wits politicians with a soft spot for Communism. This woman is an irrelevant hack racist.
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