In a close run-off, Mark Green beat Fernando Ferrer[sup]1[/sup] for the Democratic nomination for New York mayor. The analysis of the results is still ongoing, but a strong theme has emerged already - many potential Ferrer supporters voted for Green because of Ferrer’s close embrace of Al Sharpton.
Personally, I think this is the beginning of the end for Rev. Al. If the guy can’t turn the tide, and indeed probably be the cause of defeat for his candidate, in a Democratic primary in his hometown, he just doesn’t have the juice to be a real player on the national scene. Further, the racial breakdown of the vote demonstrated that he does more harm with white voters than he does with minority voters (Ferrer has a natural white constituency that largely deserted him.)
Any thoughts on the run-off and the future of Sharpton?
Completely disagree. Sharpton has also backed numerous successful candidates, Hillary Clinton being a recent example. Ferrer’s problem was that his whole campaign was based on assembling a coalition of Blacks and Latinos with just enough Whites to push him over the top. Anyone whose campaign is tailored to appeal to specific ethnic groups is bound to alienate members of the other ethnic groups.
So I think anyone who wants to run a campaign based on getting the Black vote by being Sharpton’s best freind might want to rethink it, if he is running in an area with a lot of White voters. But if a candidate can run a more broad-based campaign, Sharpton will continue to be invaluable to shore up support in the Black community.