The race for mayor in Atlanta may come down to black women according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. They represent almost 30 percent the city’s registered voters, according to Fulton County election data, more than any other demographic group. With one month to go, no one candidate has been able to secure this group. Interviews with locals show neither race nor gender will be a factor in their vote, even though two black women-City Council President Lisa Borders and write-in candidate Tiffany Brown- are in the race.
In 2001, Shirley Franklin, overwhelmingly backed by African-American women to be elected mayor, became the first black woman to lead a major Southern city. -JG