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Campaign Diary by Willaim Coit
Tuesday, August 21, 2001Hi friends, just an update on the progress of my campaign.
As of August 21,2001,the Georgia Legislature is preparing to go into special redistricting session to redraw the 2002 congressional districts. Presently, there are 11 U.S. Congressional seats. Georgia is receiving an additional 2 seats due to explosive growth in the state. Republicans control 8 seats and Democrats control 3 seats. African-Americans represent the Democratic seats. They are the 2nd - Sanford Bishop, 4th - Cynthia McKinney, and 5th - John Lewis. Republicans control the remaining 8 seats. The Black Voting Average (BVA) for the Republican seats average about 17%. The (BVA) for the Democratic seats are 40% in the 2nd, 48% in the 4th, and 60% in the 5th.
The lower the (BVA) percentage 17% or less increases the possibility of the district to vote Republican. The flip side of the equation is the higher the (BVA) percentage 40% or more increases the chances of a Black Democrat to be elected.
Now, the unknown in the equation is the white Democrat. White Democrats are losing popularity in the south as more voters are voting Republican. They have been shut out of the congressional electoral process since 1994. This year, I believe Governor Barnes (D) and Lt. Governor Taylor (D) will gerrymander friendly white Democratic districts to ensure the election of one of their own.
You may ask, "How Does This Affect Me?" Well, if the percentage of (BVA) is between 17% and 35% and African-Americans traditionally vote Democratic (around 90% in the last election) this will provide a base and improve the chances of a white Democrat to be elected to Congress. The downside of this is to dis-enfranchise hundreds of thousands of African-Americans who moved into the state within the last decade. (I am one of the new arrivals, 8 years to be exact.) This plan will need the assistance of Black Democrats to be implemented and I am optimistic that the Black Democrats will work to preserve the population gains of African-Americans.
African-American population growth in the Atlanta metropolitan area has increased dramatically within the last decade. If Black leaders take this growth into consideration, numerically speaking, African-American congressional representation should increase to 4 members representing the state of Georgia. I'm hopeful that these legislators acknowledge the growth in south DeKalb, Fulton, and northern Clayton counties and create a new district in that area. If this occurs, I will announce my candidacy for the new seat as a Republican.
I have set a goal of raising $2 million dollars. Once this financial goal is met, combined with my ability to articulate the issues, and my passion for building coalitions and meeting constituents, I see no reason why I will not become the next congressman from Georgia.
P.S. During the next couple of weeks, I will be calling on my friends to help me launch "William Coit For Congress" campaign. It's important that I receive your complete mailing address, phone numbers, email address, and names and email addresses of your friends that would be interested in volunteering or contributing to the campaign. In addition, I will begin a weekly "SoapBox" article where I will pontificate on various issues. I encourage you to participate, as your opinions are valued as we develop policies for the district.
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