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DEL.ICIO.USEarly votes go both ways in 4th District race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Trinity Baptist Church in Ellenwood in south DeKalb County was one of the polling places where U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney and challenger Hank Johnson jockeyed for the Democratic nomination to represent the Fourth District.
Shawn Manns, like many McKinney supporters, blamed the media for a negative portrayal of the outspoken lawmaker. “I think it was a witch hunt,” the 38-year-old Atlanta firefighter said. “She’s had her controversy but she’s human. I feel like she’s done a good job.”
On the other side was Gregory Johnson, a 45-year-old mortgage banker. He said he voted for Hank Johnson because he “has his priorities in order. He puts the community and their interests first.” He said Johnson had run a campaign with “integrity” and discussed issues while McKinney’s message was negative. “Negativity is contagious. It’s a cancer, “ Gregory Johnson said.
Rodney Carmichael, 32, said he was a Cynthia McKinney supporter. Carmichael pointed out that he grew up in Ellenwood so he understood the needs of south DeKalb and how much McKinney had met them. “I just feel like people who live in this area for a long time have a better understanding for who she is and don’t get caught up in the hype used in recent years to smear her.”
His mind was not changed by media coverage of McKinney’s problems. “I feel like it was another case of McKinney’s political opponents trying to put people up against her like they did with [former Congresswoman Denise] Majette in 2002,” Carmichael said. He found Johnson inarticulate and lacking in energy.
George and Catherine McIntyre were another pair of McKinney supporters in Ellenwood. George McIntyre, 71 and retired from the Air Force, resented people trying to force McKinney out of office. Catherine McIntyre, 72, said she like McKinney because “she tells it the way it is.”
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