This would be so sweet!
Georgia Democrat aims for history with win against Sen. Johnny Isakson
By Sean J. Miller - 05/06/10 06:00 AM ET
Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond (D) is undaunted by the knowledge that no African-American has been elected to the Senate from the South since Reconstruction.
“This is a very familiar challenge, quite frankly,” said Thurmond, who’s expected to be the Democratic nominee to face Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.).
“When I first ran in the mid-’80s, no African-American had been elected to the Georgia House of Representatives from Clarke County since Reconstruction,” he said. “In fact, when I was elected, I was the only African-American elected from a majority-white district in the Southeast.”
When he ran for labor commissioner in 1998, he said, “No non-incumbent African-American had ever been elected to statewide office in the history of Georgia, not just since Reconstruction, but we were able to accomplish that as well.” He’s since been reelected to the statewide position three times.
The Georgia Senate seat won’t be an easy pickup for Democrats, but Thurmond is considered a strong candidate who may be able to give Isakson a difficult race — especially in light of the senator’s recent health scare.
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http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/96345-georgia-democrat-aims-for-history-with-win-against-johnny-isakson