Quiet judge wants to unseat outspoken Rep. Cynthia McKinney in Georgia

Associated Press Newswires

[TheOtherOne]

Quiet judge wants to unseat outspoken Rep. Cynthia McKinney in Georgia

By KRISTEN WYATT

Associated Press Writer

07/15/2002

Associated Press Newswires

Copyright 2002. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

DUNWOODY, Ga. (AP) - Rep. Cynthia McKinney cruised through the Fourth of July parade here atop a snazzy purple sports car, looking every bit the front-runner who hasn't faced a serious re-election challenge in a decade.

Fifty feet behind her, Denise Majette chugged up the street in a 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass wide enough to hold most of her campaign staff. A few last-minute balloons were taped to the sides, along with some crepe paper.

The crowd loved it. Some people rushed into the street to shake Majette's hand. Several gushed that they were Republicans but still planned to vote for Majette in the Aug. 20 Democratic primary.

Majette smiled. She knows she'll need all the help she can get against a congresswoman who has won 61 percent of the vote in the past two elections.

McKinney is best known for an outspoken style that has outraged fellow Democrats as well as Republicans:

- During the 2000 presidential campaign, she accused Al Gore of having a low "Negro tolerance level" and a rule that he be accompanied by no more than one black Secret Service agent. She later retracted the statement, saying it was from a draft not intended for public distribution.

- This year, she suggested that President Bush ignored warnings of the Sept. 11 attacks because he knew a war on terrorism would help businesses run by his friends and contributors.

Whatever controversy such statements cause, McKinney has had no trouble winning re-election.

The recent congressional reapportionment further strengthened her hand. The new map boosts the black voting-age population - a bloc that has consistently supported McKinney - from 45.4 percent to 49.1 percent of the district. And the district's Jewish voters, unhappy with her stance on Israeli-Palestinian issues, was reduced.

Majette, a former state court judge in her first congressional campaign, says she never planned to challenge the only black woman in Georgia's congressional delegation. But she wondered if another black woman could do the job better. She figured she was capable of upholding Democratic principles without butting heads with national figures over matters that don't directly affect the local district.

Majette stops short of criticizing the incumbent. When asked about McKinney's comments about Bush or her perceived support of Palestinians, Majette just shrugged.

"That's not my issue," she said. "I want to talk about money for public schools. I want to talk about prescription drug coverage for seniors. I want to build coalitions in this district. That's what people really care about."

Underdog though she is, Majette saw signs of hope as she toured the district on the Fourth of July, hitting parades in Dunwoody, Stone Mountain and Decatur.

Most parade-goers interviewed said they knew who she was. At the Decatur parade, just east of Atlanta, she stopped the Cutlass outside the courthouse to shake hands with people spilling into the street.

"She's the first one who seems like she has a chance," said Jo Berg, a Democrat who rose to her feet when Majette passed by. "Will she win? Who knows? But at least we finally have a choice."

The key to success for Majette is peeling away votes from McKinney's base, south DeKalb County. Then she probably has to persuade more conservative whites in the northern part of the district to pass up a Republican primary and vote for a Democrat.

The 4th District leans heavily Democratic, so the winner of that primary is likely to win the seat.

At least one Republican doubted she could do it. State Rep. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, is asking conservatives to stick with the GOP primary.

"White crossover just doesn't matter in this district," Millar said. "I wish Ms. Majette the best, but realistically, you can't win with just white Republicans in north DeKalb unless you have south DeKalb, too. Why else do you think Cynthia McKinney has held this seat for 10 years?"

Majette said she knows it won't be easy attracting white votes without looking like a sellout to black voters, but she scoffed at the idea it couldn't be done.

"I keep hearing the word 'newcomer,' like I've never won an election or been in public office before," she said. "I've been elected in DeKalb County twice. I reached out to all the different areas then. I've established relationships that cut across lines that divide us."

---

On the Net:

http://www.majetteforcongress.com

http://www.house.gov/mckinney/

[Torie]

White crossover just doesn't matter in this district," Millar said

That is a profoundly stupid remark to make regarding voting in a Dem primary between two black candidates where the polls show the election is close, with McKinney slightly behind, to wit:

A Cooper and Secrest (D) poll, conducted 5/5-7/02 for former State Court Judge Denise Majette (D), surveyed 509 likely Democratic primary voters; margin of error +/- 4.4% (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/31).

Tested: Majette and Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D). 


Democratic primary matchup:
             
Majette      41%         
McKinney     37         
Undec.       22

McKinney job approval:

Positive     38%
Negative     60%

[dennisw]

http://www.majetteforcongress.org/

[Paul Atreides]

[dennisw]

http://www.majetteforcongress.org/about.php

[Paul Atreides]

During the 2000 presidential campaign, she accused Al Gore of having a low "Negro tolerance level" and a rule that he be accompanied by no more than one black Secret Service agent. She later retracted the statement, saying it was from a draft not intended for public distribution.

Interesting. There have been white people crucified for the same thing.

[Vidalia]

Maybe MS. Majette could find a worthwhile issue by introducing new funding for forms of treatment for the comically insane who now serve in offices representing the state of Georgia.

[GPBurdell]

Georgia Republicans need your help! Get involved in your local GOP. If we can get out the Republican vote in Georgia then we can beat the Democrats. Anyone living in Gwinnett County, please help us beat Democrats. Visit the Gwinnett GOP

Thanks

Buzz Brockway, Chairman
Gwinnett County Republican Party

[M Kehoe]

Cool.

Maybe when McKinney is defeated she will tell us who planted ol' Glory on Mars.

5.56mm

[Catspaw]

A friend of mine who lives in the Atlanta area says that McKinney's support seems to be waning and Majette seems to be surging. There's also the curious resignation of two of McKinney's campaign workers a few weeks back, but he can't get information about it out of anyone--except to say something stinks about it.

McKinney, a guest editorial writer for the Nation of Islam newspaper, may find herself going the way of Earl Hililard in Alabama.

[Jorge]

LOL!

[yendu bwam]

Quiet judge wants to unseat outspoken Rep. Cynthia McKinney in Georgia

The 'quiet' part would get my vote right there, if I were Georgian!

[Jon Geb]

The only time I would vote Democratic in my life would be to help unseat anouther Democrat I really dislike.

[writmeister]

Maybe when McKinney is defeated she will tell us who planted ol' Glory on Mars.

I think that was another bright light: the ever-charming Queen Sheila Jackson-Lee of Houston.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

.

[yendu bwam]

You gotta hold your nose and do it. Be brave!

[M Kehoe]

...ever-charming Queen Sheila Jackson-Lee of Houston.

Thanks, I stand corrected. Sometimes, I can tell the difference.

5.56mm

[timestax]

bump

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

Can you guys believe that this lady that is trying to unseat McKinnley is AGAINST affirmitive action....she's a real moderate.

[GOPcapitalist]

Maybe when McKinney is defeated she will tell us who planted ol' Glory on Mars.

Don't you know? It was her good friend Sheila Jackson Lee!