Political Insider
Political Insider

Michael Thurmond takes a stab at uniting Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton supporters

In this April file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-V.t, right, speaks as Hillary Clinton listens during the CNN Democratic Presidential Primary Debate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York. AP/Seth Wenig

Credit: Jim Galloway

Credit: Jim Galloway

In this April file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-V.t, right, speaks as Hillary Clinton listens during the CNN Democratic Presidential Primary Debate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York. AP/Seth Wenig
By Jim Galloway
July 5, 2016

Michael Thurmond, who is a November vote away from being declared the next CEO of DeKalb County, has peacemaking on his mind. With Killer Mike and some other friends.

Thurmond will be one of four Georgians on the platform committee of the Democratic National Convention, which gathers later this month in Philadelphia. A hard draft of the document is expected to be voted on later this week at a meeting in Florida.

Co-chairman of the platform committee is former Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin. Democratic activist Verna Cleveland and union executive Steve Lomax round out the Georgia quartet.

But before he heads down to Florida, Thurmond wants some love and peace between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. He’ll be hosting a “platform listening session” at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Dr., Decatur, Ga. 30030.

“Killer Mike” Render, the rapper, and Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry will represent the Sanders side. Meredith Lilly, an attorney and community organizer, and Tharon Johnson, a Democratic consultant, will represent the Clinton side.

About the Author

Jim Galloway, the newspaper’s former political columnist, was a writer and editor at the AJC for four decades.

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