Chamblee54

Cynthia McKinney is back. The former congresswoman is running for her old seat in Georgia’s fourth district. She will be running with the Green Party.
While Miss McKinney is known for her goofy behavior in the past, perhaps this is the time to forgive. This may be an opportunity to damage the two party system. The Republicans and Democrats have a duopoly on power in America. Many say they just take turns in office, while raking in the bribes campaign contributions from the one percent. While one seat in congress is not a big deal, it is a start.
This is the first election after the district lines were drawn again. If you have a strong stomach, here are some details of the Atlanta area. The fifth district was designed to be a black district, and is the one formerly represented by Miss McKinney. She enjoys wide name recognition. The fact that much of it is negative is irrelevant. There is no bad publicity. McKinney is easy to spell correctly.
There are some more factors in play here. When she lost to Hank Johnson in 2008, Miss McKinney enjoyed wide support in the black community. Many of the white voters who voted for Mr. Johnson are in other districts now. Another thing to consider is the chaos in the Georgia Democratic party. If Miss McKinney can get on the ballot, there is a chance.
The downside is the ballot access laws in Georgia. The Republicans and Democrats are dedicated to maintaining their duopoly. To quote a press release: “In addition to securing the support of Delegates to the June 2nd Convention, in order to appear as Greens on the Georgia ballot, these partisan candidates are also required to file petitions with signatures representing 5% of the number of voters who are registered and eligible to vote in November’s General Election. This ballot access standard is ten times the national average and according to Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News, constitutes the highest barrier to participation in the world, when comparing all countries which conduct contested elections. The filing deadline is in 76 days.”
Peach Pundit estimates that the Green Party will need 25K-40K signatures to get Miss McKinney on the ballot. This is going to be a tall order. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.