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DEL.ICIO.USSome final number-crunching in the U.S. Senate race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My number-crunching colleague Ben Smith has churned out some low-to-the-ground numbers on the Tuesday performance of U.S. Senate candidates Jim Martin and Vernon Jones in all-important DeKalb County.
Overall, Martin won Dekalb by 61 percent — roughly the same as the statewide margin that made him the nominee.
Martin’s DeKalb cushion amounted to more than 15,000 votes, which he piled up by running strong in the southern end of the county, which is dominated by African-American voters, and by crushing Jones in the northern portion.
Martin won 25 of the 108 majority black precincts in DeKalb, including Stone Mountain Middle School and Candler, which have registered black voting populations of more than 80 percent.
Martin won 42 percent of the vote in majority-black precincts — a significant accomplishment for a white candidate who was running against an African-American. And who happens to be the DeKalb CEO.
Martin won 92 percent of the vote in majority-white precincts, and carried six of every 10 votes cast by absentees.
Martin didn’t win the county by a rush of white voters to the polls. Turnout in majority-black and majority-white precincts was comparable — 15 percent in majority-white precincts and 16 percent in majority-black ones. Overall turnout for DeKalb was 17 percent, only two percentage points lower than in the July 15th primary.
Comments
By Left
August 7, 2008 7:39 AM | Link to this
The choice was between an admitted two times Bush voter and Jim Martin.
Considering Jones’ judgment in the past, the decision of whom to vote for in the run-off was not hard to make.
Now, Martin has to beat another Bushpublican.
Martin for Senate ‘08.
By Kevin
August 7, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this
Doesn’t this defy the reasoning that Black Americans are supporting Obama by 98% only because he is Black. When given a choice most Black Americans vote for who they believe will be the best candidate regardless of race or ethnicity. I believe the results of the Jim Martin/Vernon Jones primary race is proof of this.