Two outspoken members of Congress in tough Georgia primary fights

Posted 7:46AM on Monday 19th August 2002 ( 22 years ago )

ATLANTA - Two of the most outspoken members of Congress, Democrat Cynthia McKinney and Republican Bob Barr, are headed into what appears to be the toughest primary of their careers this week. Barr, a constant conservative presence on talk shows who won wide attention as the Clinton impeachment manager, faces a fellow incumbent House member in a redrawn district. McKinney, whose outspoken comments have infuriated Jewish leaders, President Bush and even members of her own party, is facing her first significant challenge in a decade. Georgia's primary on Tuesday also features races in four open congressional seats, a trio of Republicans fighting to be the party's nominee against popular Gov. Roy Barnes and a GOP Senate battle between Rep. Saxby Chambliss and former state Sen. Bob Irvin. Wyoming also holds its primary Tuesday, with five Republicans and four Democrats seeking to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Jim Geringer. First-term Sen. Mike Enzi was expected to win his Republican primary against Crosby Allen, a Fremont County commissioner, while Democrat Joyce Corcoran had no challenger for the nomination to oppose Enzi. In Georgia, the McKinney and Barr races have overshadowed the other contests on the ballot. Talk show host G. Gordon Liddy and the National Rifle Association's chief executive officer, Wayne LaPierre, campaigned for Barr in his run for a fifth term in office, while the Rev. Jesse Jackson endorsed McKinney as a "cutting-edge politician." Barr faces fellow Republican incumbent Rep. John Linder, running for his sixth term, in a suburban Atlanta district. Democrats who control the state Legislature redrew their districts, giving Barr the choice of taking on Linder or running in a district with a Democratic majority. A pre-election poll found the Barr-Linder race too close to call. McKinney faces former state court judge Denise Majette - both women are black - in a district that is about 50 percent black but also holds pockets of Republicans and Jewish voters who are angry about McKinney's support of Arab causes. In Georgia's open primary, Republicans can vote in the Democratic contest, and many have said they will cross over to get rid of McKinney. McKinney has defended her outspoken and often provocative stands, saying voters didn't send her to Washington in 1992 "to blend into the woodwork." She calls herself "a voice for the voiceless, a defender of the weak and poor." After McKinney asserted that President Bush ignored warnings of the Sept. 11 attacks because he knew a war on terrorism would help businesses run by his friends and contributors, Democratic Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia termed her statement "loony." Majette contends the district's voters don't want divisiveness and says she can "unite us and make sure we are working together for the benefit of everyone." A poll showed that race also is close. In the most bizarre event of the Barr-Linder race, an antique .38-caliber pistol fired as Barr was handling it during a reception in his honor. No one was hurt. A couple days later, a Linder supporter dressed as "Yosemite Sam" showed up at a Barr event with a sign saying "Bob Barr's official gun safety trainer." He scuffled with Barr's adult son. Barr has derided Linder's leadership on a plan to replace the income tax with a national sales tax of as much as 23 percent, saying that after three years he still has lined up only eight co-sponsors. Linder countered that Barr doesn't understand the details of the proposal. Congressmen already ousted this year include Democrats Earl Hilliard of Alabama, Gary Condit of California, Frank Mascara of Pennsylvania and Tom Sawyer of Ohio. Rep. Lynn Rivers, D-Mich., Mascara and GOP Rep. Brian Kerns of Indiana all lost to fellow incumbents in primary races forced by redistricting.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/8/191168