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Sharpton’s staying
Posted at: Friday, March 5, 2004, 01:39 AM
Contrary to an article in Thursday’s New York Times, the Rev. Al Sharpton isn’t contemplating dropping out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, says the Rev. Devis Toon, national field director for Sharpton’s campaign.
The question, though, is why? Sharpton (below) hasn’t won a single primary of the 30 held so far and has only about two dozen delegates to his name, compared with John Kerry’s estimated 1,509.
Sharpton hopes to gather enough influence to play a role in the Democratic National Convention in July. But he missed one of his main chances Tuesday when he garnered only 6 percent of the vote in Georgia — third in the nation in African-American voting age population — and garnered only 8 percent in his home state of New York, the No. 1 state for African-American voting strength. He failed to get on the ballot in Louisiana, another state with a significant African-American population, which votes next week.
Georgia activist Joe Beasley, who endorsed Sharpton, blamed the candidate’s weak showing on “ignorance and apathy” among voters and late endorsements of Kerry and Sen. John Edwards by black elected officials.
“I was very disappointed to see black leadership going over to the Kerry and Edwards camps when the only one speaking to the issues was Sharpton,” Beasley said.
— Staff writer Matthew C. Quinn and wire services.
