Georgia 4th congressional district election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The Georgia 4th congressional district election, 2006 is an election
for the United States House of Representatives
. The general election was on November 7, 2006. However, the 4th is a heavily Democratic district, and the Democratic primary was widely seen as the real contest. In that primary, DeKalb County
Commissioner Hank Johnson
upset the incumbent, Cynthia McKinney
.
Johnson went on to defeat Republican Catherine Davis, a human resources manager and GOP activist, in November to become the district's Representative.
that "The Fourth District faces serious problems of traffic and transportation, public safety, healthcare and education. I'm a nuts-and-bolts public servant. My record speaks for itself. I am committed to getting results for those that made me their County Commissioner. I will bring that same approach to representing the District in the 110th Congress
."
McKinney had been heavily favored to win, so her narrow margin and failure to get 50% of the vote surprised observers, and focused attention on the challenger, Johnson. Because there seemed a real possibility that Johnson could win, he gained much support. Approximately 62,000 people voted in the primary; slightly over 70,000 voted in the runoff.
, "I'm going to be an effective legislator," and "I'm not going to be a divisive one."
In general, the campaign for the primary election runoff was fairly negative. McKinney criticized Johnson for receiving $16,000 of donations from Republicans
. Johnson responded that he was a "lifelong Democrat" and that the money McKinney criticized was small compared to the $130,000 in donations he took in before the primary vote. Johnson pointed out that McKinney has received large donations from donors from New York
and Los Angeles
, while most of his support had come from within the Congressional district.
Johnson also raised questions about McKinney's controversial confrontation with a U.S. Capitol
police officer
. During the second debate on August 5, 2006, Johnson pointed to the Capitol Hill
incident as an example of what he has called McKinney's embarrassing leadership in office. Johnson also raised questions about McKinney missing votes in Congress. He specifically asked about her missing a vote to extend the National Voting Rights Act of 1965
: "If the Voting Rights Act is not important enough for you to show up, then what is important enough for you to show up?"
A reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, commenting on the appearance of Johnson and McKinney in the second debate, said that Johnson showed confidence and knowledge of the issues, while McKinney "seemed rattled and frustrated at times" and that she "refused to directly answer some questions from the panel."
In the period leading up to the primary election, McKinney had $282,000 in total campaign receipts compared to $170,000 for Johnson. Between the primary and the runoff, Johnson doubled his contributions; he took in nearly three times the amount that McKinney did during the period.
wrote that of all Congressional candidates nationwide in 2006, "Johnson had the most unique blog strategy by far." In July, another National Journal
article dubbed Johnson a "staple of the blogosphere."
Influential centrist blogger Joe Gandelman wrote about Johnson's candidacy, driving traffic to his campaign web site. After he observed that Johnson was posting on multiple prominent political blogs, Gandelman wrote, "These are fascinating posts -- worth the attention of readers of all persuasions -- because they show a candidate taking full advantage of Internet technology to directly spread his word and also (not a small matter) a candidate who's offering voters a different style of representation."
The National Journal
went on to tout Johnson's use of the internet to defeat McKinney as the number-three blog story of 2006.
Insider Advantage took a second poll on July 31, 2006. Johnson still led McKinney, but by a smaller margin of 49 to 34 percent, with 17 percent undecided. InsiderAdvantage CEO Matt Towery commented that "There has been some shift in African American
voters in McKinney’s direction. However, the black vote remains split with local black leaders endorsing Johnson, who is trouncing McKinney among eligible white voters.
A poll taken on August 3, 2006, indicated that Johnson was leading McKinney heading into the final weekend before the runoff election. The poll of 300 eligible voters found that Johnson's support was at 52 percent and McKinney's support was at 39 percent, the first time that a poll placed Johnson above the 50 percent level. The poll only had nine percent undecideds. Early voting in the Fourth Congressional District was high.
The last poll by InsiderAdvantage before the primary runoff election, taken on August 6, 2006, gave the impression that Johnson had strengthened his lead in the race against McKinney. The poll showed Johnson leading McKinney, 53 percent to 40 percent. Seven percent were undecided.
Based upon historical results in Georgia runoff elections, many experts in Georgia politics believed that Johnson was the favorite to win the runoff election. University of Georgia
political science professor Charles Bullock said that McKinney would probably lose because historically most incumbents forced into a runoff in Georgia do. "There is blood in the water and the sharks are circling," Bullock concluded. Merle Black
, a political science
professor at Emory University
in Atlanta, expressed a similar sentiment, "An incumbent who is forced into a runoff is a serious sign of weakness. Johnson’s vote will go up, he’ll raise a lot of money, and the momentum has gone over to Johnson.
In his victory speech, Johnson commented on the Democratic primary campaign and on future prospects: "“What we have done today is something that has been watched by the nation. It is clear, where most people have a low opinion of the work of our Congress, that they want to see things done differently."
During her concession speech, McKinney praised leaders in Cuba and Venezuela and blamed the media and electronic voting machines for her defeat.
for president that same year with 71 percent of the vote.
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. The general election was on November 7, 2006. However, the 4th is a heavily Democratic district, and the Democratic primary was widely seen as the real contest. In that primary, DeKalb County
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
Commissioner Hank Johnson
Hank Johnson
Henry C. "Hank" Johnson Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in DeKalb County, a largely suburban county east of Atlanta. It also includes portions of Gwinnett and Rockdale counties.-Life, education and...
upset the incumbent, Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia Ann McKinney is a former US Congresswoman and a member of the Green Party since 2007. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, the Green Party nominated McKinney for President of the United States...
.
Johnson went on to defeat Republican Catherine Davis, a human resources manager and GOP activist, in November to become the district's Representative.
The campaign up to the primary
Johnson portrayed himself as a reasonable, Democratic Party alternative to McKinney, who had a number of controversies in her past. On December 21, 2005, he commented during the initial press conference announcing his campaign for CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
that "The Fourth District faces serious problems of traffic and transportation, public safety, healthcare and education. I'm a nuts-and-bolts public servant. My record speaks for itself. I am committed to getting results for those that made me their County Commissioner. I will bring that same approach to representing the District in the 110th Congress
110th United States Congress
The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of...
."
July 2006 primary
McKinney finished first in the July 18, 2006 Democratic primary, edging Johnson, 47.1% to 44.4%, with a third candidate receiving 8.5%. Since McKinney failed to get a majority of the votes, she and Johnson were forced into a run-off.McKinney had been heavily favored to win, so her narrow margin and failure to get 50% of the vote surprised observers, and focused attention on the challenger, Johnson. Because there seemed a real possibility that Johnson could win, he gained much support. Approximately 62,000 people voted in the primary; slightly over 70,000 voted in the runoff.
The campaign between July and August
Johnson continued to stress his ability to get along with people. He told a reporter for USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, "I'm going to be an effective legislator," and "I'm not going to be a divisive one."
In general, the campaign for the primary election runoff was fairly negative. McKinney criticized Johnson for receiving $16,000 of donations from Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. Johnson responded that he was a "lifelong Democrat" and that the money McKinney criticized was small compared to the $130,000 in donations he took in before the primary vote. Johnson pointed out that McKinney has received large donations from donors from New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, while most of his support had come from within the Congressional district.
Johnson also raised questions about McKinney's controversial confrontation with a U.S. Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
. During the second debate on August 5, 2006, Johnson pointed to the Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Capitol Hill, aside from being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues...
incident as an example of what he has called McKinney's embarrassing leadership in office. Johnson also raised questions about McKinney missing votes in Congress. He specifically asked about her missing a vote to extend the National Voting Rights Act of 1965
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
: "If the Voting Rights Act is not important enough for you to show up, then what is important enough for you to show up?"
A reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, commenting on the appearance of Johnson and McKinney in the second debate, said that Johnson showed confidence and knowledge of the issues, while McKinney "seemed rattled and frustrated at times" and that she "refused to directly answer some questions from the panel."
In the period leading up to the primary election, McKinney had $282,000 in total campaign receipts compared to $170,000 for Johnson. Between the primary and the runoff, Johnson doubled his contributions; he took in nearly three times the amount that McKinney did during the period.
Use of the internet and blogosphere
Johnson's aggressive use of the internet to court supporters and attract national attention to the race was noted by national political media. The National JournalNational Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
wrote that of all Congressional candidates nationwide in 2006, "Johnson had the most unique blog strategy by far." In July, another National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
article dubbed Johnson a "staple of the blogosphere."
Influential centrist blogger Joe Gandelman wrote about Johnson's candidacy, driving traffic to his campaign web site. After he observed that Johnson was posting on multiple prominent political blogs, Gandelman wrote, "These are fascinating posts -- worth the attention of readers of all persuasions -- because they show a candidate taking full advantage of Internet technology to directly spread his word and also (not a small matter) a candidate who's offering voters a different style of representation."
The National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
went on to tout Johnson's use of the internet to defeat McKinney as the number-three blog story of 2006.
Polls and predictions for the primary runoff
The first poll on the race was done right after the primary on July 26, 2006. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a poll by InsiderAdvantage "shows challenger Hank Johnson with a hefty lead over incumbent Cynthia McKinney in the Democratic run-off for the 4th District congressional race. The poll shows Johnson leading McKinney, 46 to 21 percent, with a third of voters undecided."Insider Advantage took a second poll on July 31, 2006. Johnson still led McKinney, but by a smaller margin of 49 to 34 percent, with 17 percent undecided. InsiderAdvantage CEO Matt Towery commented that "There has been some shift in African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
voters in McKinney’s direction. However, the black vote remains split with local black leaders endorsing Johnson, who is trouncing McKinney among eligible white voters.
A poll taken on August 3, 2006, indicated that Johnson was leading McKinney heading into the final weekend before the runoff election. The poll of 300 eligible voters found that Johnson's support was at 52 percent and McKinney's support was at 39 percent, the first time that a poll placed Johnson above the 50 percent level. The poll only had nine percent undecideds. Early voting in the Fourth Congressional District was high.
The last poll by InsiderAdvantage before the primary runoff election, taken on August 6, 2006, gave the impression that Johnson had strengthened his lead in the race against McKinney. The poll showed Johnson leading McKinney, 53 percent to 40 percent. Seven percent were undecided.
Based upon historical results in Georgia runoff elections, many experts in Georgia politics believed that Johnson was the favorite to win the runoff election. University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
political science professor Charles Bullock said that McKinney would probably lose because historically most incumbents forced into a runoff in Georgia do. "There is blood in the water and the sharks are circling," Bullock concluded. Merle Black
Merle Black
P. Merle Black is the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Political Science at Emory University. He is a frequent media source on Southern politics,as is his twin brother, Earl Black, a professor at Rice University...
, a political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
professor at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
in Atlanta, expressed a similar sentiment, "An incumbent who is forced into a runoff is a serious sign of weakness. Johnson’s vote will go up, he’ll raise a lot of money, and the momentum has gone over to Johnson.
August 2006 primary runoff
On August 8, 2006, in the runoff, Johnson won a decisive victory:- Hank Johnson 41,178 59%
- Cynthia McKinney 28,832 41%.
In his victory speech, Johnson commented on the Democratic primary campaign and on future prospects: "“What we have done today is something that has been watched by the nation. It is clear, where most people have a low opinion of the work of our Congress, that they want to see things done differently."
During her concession speech, McKinney praised leaders in Cuba and Venezuela and blamed the media and electronic voting machines for her defeat.
November general election
The 4th District is a 60% black-majority district, and is heavily Democratic. Johnson defeated the GOP candidate, human resources manager Catherine Davis, in the November 7 general election, winning 76% of the vote—one of the largest percentages for a Democrat in a contested election, and the largest in the history of the district. Davis was the 2004 Republican nominee but lost to McKinney by nearly 30 percentage points. The district supported Democrat John KerryJohn Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
for president that same year with 71 percent of the vote.