The Atlanta Election in Black and White

The City of Atlanta will hold municipal elections on Tuesday, Nov. 3 in an effort to fill the offices for Mayor, multiple City Council seats and the Board of Education. The incumbent mayor, Shirley Franklin will be ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits on her office. As a result, the mayoral campaign has been left wide open and has led to a hotly contested race. More HERE

Now the big question is will a veteran City Council member (who is white), who hails from the largely white neighborhood of Buckhead be the next mayor of Atlanta?

Is this post-racial politics in Atlanta? No I don't think so. But as reported by The LA Times, Norwood's success among black voters has become the most important dynamic in the closing days of the contest to succeed second-term Mayor Shirley Franklin.

More HERE

In a poll Thursday of registered Atlanta voters conducted by local firm InsiderAdvantage, Norwood received 45% support overall. (A SurveyUSA poll showed her with 46%.) Among the African Americans polled, Norwood received 34% support in the InsiderAdvantage poll -- a narrow plurality.

The black support has helped place Norwood far ahead of three other serious contenders, all of them African Americans with impressive resumes. Her closest competitor is Reed, a former state senator, who had 25% overall support in the InsiderAdvantage poll.

As reported in the Atlanta Journal, For months, Franklin refused to say which candidate she supports. She's been clear she wouldn't endorse the front-runner, Councilwoman Mary Norwood. Franklin wrote a blog entry on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Political Insider column last week saying that Norwood has not demonstrated "vision, competence or integrity in her public life."

The mayor has also been critical of Norwood for not voting in June with the majority of the council in favor of raising taxes, which Franklin said was necessary to end furloughs on police officers.

ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - During an Atlanta Mayoral debate today, candidate Mary Norwood dismissed critical comments made by outgoing Mayor Shirley Franklin. More HERE

As reported by The LA Times, Norwood's commanding lead in the polls has raised the possibility that she may win more than 50% of the vote, obviating the need for a runoff. Her success has also prompted a new line of attack from foes, including Reed, who have accused her of being a closet Republican in a Democratic-leaning city.

AAPP: At the end of this day we will see if Atlanta will experience a post racial moment and elect its first white mayor in over 35 years. I can't wait to see the results, can you?