Hillary Clinton ratchets up the battle for black endorsements in Georgia
A day after state Sen. Vincent Fort spurned Hillary Clinton for his top rival, the former secretary of state's campaign ratcheted up the race for black endorsements in Georgia in a major way.
The Clinton camp unleashed a lengthy list of nearly three dozen black state legislators who endorsed her bid for the presidency in the runup to Georgia's March 1 primary. Some of them had already supported her campaign, but it was a show of force for a candidate who is relying on minority backing to halt Bernie Sanders' momentum.
“For me, supporting Hillary was not a hard decision. Her record and commitment is unmatched," said state Rep. Calvin Smyre, a Columbus Democrat and the longest-serving member of the House. "Make no mistake, no candidate, Democratic or Republican, is better prepared or positioned to serve our communities around the nation.”
Fort, who endorsed Sanders hours before he headlined a Morehouse College rally, said he expects a few more elected officials to join the Vermont senator's campaign over the next two weeks. His backers include state Rep. LaDawn Jones and Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry.
And here's the list of Georgia state lawmakers the Clinton campaign unveiled this morning:
- Georgia State Senator Gail Davenport
- Georgia State Senator Ed Harbison
- Georgia State Senator Donzella James
- Georgia State Senator Valencia Seay
- Georgia State Senator Freddie Powell Sims
- Georgia State Senator Horacena Tate
- Georgia State Senator David Lucas
- Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams
- Georgia State Representative Kimberly Alexander
- Georgia State Representative Patty Bentley
- Georgia State Representative Sharon Beasley-Teague
- Georgia State Representative Bob Bryant
- Georgia State Representative Pam Dickerson
- Georgia State Representative Dee Dawkins-Haigler
- Georgia State Representative Marie Metz
- Georgia State Representative Virgil Fludd
- Georgia State Representative J. Craig Gordon
- Georgia State Representative Carolyn Hugley
- Georgia State Representative Mack Jackson
- Georgia State Representative Sheila Jones
- Georgia State Representative Darryl Jordan
- Georgia State Representative Dar'shun Kendrick
- Georgia State Representative Billy Mitchell
- Georgia State Representative David Wilkerson
- Georgia State Representative Howard Mosby
- Georgia State Representative Nikki Randall
- Georgia State Representative Sandra Scott
- Georgia State Representative Earnest Smith
- Georgia State Representative Calvin Smyre
- Georgia State Representative Mickey Stephens
- Georgia State Representative Pam Stephenson
- Georgia State Representative Keisha Sean Waites
- Georgia State Representative Al Williams
- Georgia State Representative Earnest Williams
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
