Denise Majette, who ousted McKinney for one 2-year cycle, only made it because a lot of Republicans worked for her campaign and got a lot of Republicans to vote in the Dem primary that year (we have open primaries in GA). It didn't hurt that there were no really significant Republican primaries in that election cycle.
Denise then turned around and abandoned that seat to run for the Senate two years later. This campaign was the definition of "a snowball's chance in Hell." There was just no way she was ever going to win a statewide race. We still can't figure out WTH she was thinking. Cyndy of course took the House seat back.
Hank Johnson is unlikely to get the crossover support Majette did. We did it, we got burned by Majette's idiocy/hubris/whatever in walking away from the seat, and we aren't likely to do it again; I know I won't.
As a result, Hank will have to run one heckuva campaign to overcome Cyndy's entrenched machine.
Thank you, had forgotten Majette's name. Wonder if she was bought off by the McKinney's in some way?
It wasn't by coincidence. I'm quite sure the Dem machine made her an offer she couldn't refuse. Nobody expected she'd win that race, but I'm sure she's well taken care of now.