How will Norwood-Reed runoff take shape?

By Eric Stirgus

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Atlanta mayoral runoff could be a contest of Mary Norwood's grass-roots organization against Kasim Reed's fund-raising prowess.

The runoff race began early Wednesday with both candidates doing television interviews, their campaign managers taking verbal shots at the opposing side and the campaigns plotting their strategies for their Dec. 1 showdown at the polls.

Data released by the Fulton County Board of Elections and analyzed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution showed turnout was higher in parts of the city that supported Norwood, which some believe shows more of her voters will return for the runoff. It also shows Atlanta voters cast their ballots along racial lines.

In five precincts where African-Americans made up more than 87 percent of registered voters, Reed, a former state senator, led with 15,939 votes. But Norwood, a councilwoman, finished second with 6,424, besting City Council President Lisa Borders, who won 4,312 votes. Turnout in those areas, most of which were in south and west Atlanta, was 28.6 percent.

In the three precincts in which whites made up more than 84 percent of registered voters, Norwood dominated with 19,636 votes. Reed came in second with 3,908 votes, and Borders received 3,258. Voter turnout in those areas was 37.1 percent.

In four of the most racially diverse precincts, Norwood won 7,078 votes, Reed had 6,406 and Borders garnered 2,650 votes. Turnout was 24 percent.

Former state Rep. Bob Holmes of Atlanta predicts turnout for the runoff at 12 to 15 percent. He believes Norwood's supporters are more energized by her message of change and that some white voters are excited about the prospect of her becoming the city's first white mayor since Sam Massell left office in 1973.

Holmes believes Reed will get more support from Democrats across the nation and particularly African-Americans who want another black mayor.

Holmes says he thinks Reed needs Borders' endorsement for the runoff.

"That's the wild card," he said.

Borders' support was strongest in portions of downtown, Midtown and the Old Fourth Ward. Reed was at the busy intersection of  Boulevard and Freedom Parkway in the Old Fourth Ward on Wednesday afternoon, waving at motorists.

"My main strategy is knocking on doors, riding MARTA, doing what got me here," Reed said, while waving at motorists. "I went from four points to 38 points. ... We have 27 days to get 14 more points, and we have more than enough financial resources to get there."

Norwood and Reed said they contacted Borders on Wednesday. Borders did not return messages for comment. Reed will meet Friday with Jesse Spikes, who finished fourth in Tuesday's election, said Spikes campaign spokesman Maynard Eaton.

The current mayor, Shirley Franklin, who couldn’t run this year due to term limits, cast her ballot for Reed on Tuesday. Franklin has been highly critical of Norwood’s performance on the council. The mayor declined an interview request Wednesday to discuss the election results.

Georgia State associate political science professor Henry Carey expects Reed to focus on his message of combating crime, which includes hiring 750 cops in his first term, to energize black voters, particularly those who live in low-income neighborhoods. Many African-American voters said Tuesday they voted for Reed because of his stance on crime. They also cited his idea to reopen 22 recreation centers to keep children off the streets and out of trouble.

"The poorest residents of Atlanta are those suffering the most from high crime," Carey said.

Norwood and her staff said they will spend time talking to supporters to appeal for more money and to ensure they return for the runoff.

"We hope to have higher turnout at the runoff. I know that doesn't always happen, but that's what we're hoping for," she said.

Norwood spent about $630,000, about 42 percent of her $1.5 million campaign war chest, between Oct. 1 and Oct. 25, her campaign records show. Much of that money was spent on television ads as some Norwood supporters hoped the candidate could capture the majority of votes Tuesday and avoid a runoff. She had $165,295 in her campaign war chest in the week before the election. Reed had $166,789.

Norwood, who's touted herself as the grass-roots candidate, raised $173,587 between Oct. 1 and Oct. 25. Just over 51 percent of those donations were $100 or less, campaign records show.

Reed, meanwhile, raised more money than any candidate, $1.6 million. A good portion of that money was raised outside Georgia. Reed campaign manager Tharon Johnson said the campaign expects more support and money from Democratic Party donors locally and nationwide.

"We are the Democrats in the race, and this is the place that people will be paying attention," he said.

Campaign records show a $98,000 loan that Reed made to his campaign in October.

Both campaigns are preparing for a rollicking runoff in the mayor's race.

The jabs began early Wednesday. Norwood campaign manager Roman Levit said Norwood is the candidate "who will bring change to the city."

"If you like the way the city's going, Kasim Reed is your candidate," he said.

Johnson scoffed at the comments, noting Norwood has been on the City Council for eight years.

"There's no way you can be at the council for eight years and represent change," Johnson said. "[Norwood's] part of the problem."

The candidates kept a limited public schedule Wednesday after a long night of waiting for election results. Reed missed the first scheduled debate of the runoff Wednesday, organized by the Atlanta Hotel Council, to the dismay of some members. Johnson said the candidate had a full schedule and apologized. Norwood attended and told the audience of about 70 people that she wants to beef up the police presence to remove panhandlers from tourist areas.

"We can have a fun city without being fearful [of panhandling]," she said.

Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau President William Pate said afterward that he’s hopeful the next mayor will aggressively focus on panhandling. While some residents have said they’re worried about a nasty runoff that may hurt Atlanta’s image, Pate said he doesn’t think that will be a major problem.

“After the race is over, [people] tend to forget about the process and focus on the candidate who wins,” he said.

Staff writers Cameron McWhirter and Ernie Suggs and database specialist John Perry contributed to this article.