By James Wright
AFRO Staff Writer
Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) is running in the 2010 primary to become governor of Alabama. (Courtesy Photo)
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Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) is running for an open Senate position for Florida. (Courtesy Photo)
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(June 21, 2009) - Two young, Southern members of the Congressional Black Caucus are making notable progress in their quest for statewide offices.
U.S. Reps. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) and Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) are running in their states’ primaries in 2010 to become governor of Alabama and U.S. senator from Florida, respectively. Davis, 41, is seeking to replace Republican Bob Riley in the statehouse in Montgomery while Meek, 42, is after the seat of Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.).
If successful, they will be the first African-Americans to hold those positions.
Both men are using campaign techniques and strategies that President Obama exploited in 2008. While they are campaigning throughout their states, they are focusing their efforts on the suburban vote.
For Davis, that means working hard to get the vote in the metropolitan areas of Birmingham, Mobile and Montgomery while Meek is spending much of his time in vote-rich, ethnically diverse Miami-Fort Lauderdale, with lots of appearances in Tampa-St. Petersburg, Orlando and Jacksonville.
Davis is facing a small field of contenders who are largely undistinguished. If he gets the nomination, he will likely face former Alabama chief justice of the Supreme Court Roy Moore in the general election.
Davis recently received the support of former Lt. Gov. Jere Beasley, who served in the state’s second spot under Gov. George Wallace. Beasley said he has seen many governors, Democrats and Republicans, and the “best governors had a definite leadership quality, and I see that in Artur Davis,” according to the Montgomery Advertiser
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Beasley said he believes Davis can help attract jobs, help the state transform and “unlock its full potential,” and has the ability to bring people together.
“He has proven in Congress he can work with Republicans and work with Democrats,” Beasley said. “He just has that unique ability to lead.”
Despite the support of Beasley and his front-runner status, David Bositis, a senior research associate at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, thinks that Davis will have very tough time winning in Alabama.
“Barack Obama did not come close to winning the state and he only got 10 percent of the White vote,” said Bositis. “The Black vote in that state is only 25 percent so he will have to get a large portion of the White vote, probably close to 48 percent. Republicans have had a lock on Alabama for decades and I don't see it happening this time.”
Meek has generated some high-profile endorsements from organized labor unions such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the trade unions, teachers, and the Service Employees International Union. He has also been tapped by the mayors of Miami, Gainesville, Tallahassee, West Palm Beach and Broward County.
Congressional colleagues such as Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Ron Klein are in his camp.
Bositis said that Meek has one powerful asset: his mother, former Rep. Carrie Meek.
“Carrie Meek is beloved throughout the state of Florida,” he said. “She stood up to Jeb Bush and she is considered to be the vanguard of the Democratic Party in Florida. Many people will vote for Kendrick out of love and respect for his mom.”
Schultz said that Meek’s mentoring and work in Washington spurred her to support him.
“Kendrick arrived in Congress two years before I did and he helped pave the way for me to make a positive and impactful change in Washington,” she said. “Kendrick can outwork anyone and I witnessed his dedication firsthand in 2002 when he led the effort to reduce class size in Florida. Kendrick stands up when others sit down and that is the type of leader Florida needs in the U.S. Senate.”
Schultz is considered a rising star in the national Democratic Party and it is believed that she can help Meek by attracting Jewish voters and money which will be crucial during his campaign.
Obama won Florida in 2008 with the support of suburban Whites, Jews and Latinos in South Florida and Blacks statewide. Bositis said that the margin of victory for the president was the Latinos.
“If you look at 2004, [President George W.] Bush won the state with the help of the Latino vote,” he said. “In 2008, it flipped for Obama and provided the margin of victory for him.”
Latino leaders such as Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and State Rep. Luis Garcia (D-Miami Beach) have signed on to support Meek. Nevertheless, Meek has his issues to deal with also, Bositis said.
“I will say that he will have an easier time winning than Davis will but it will be tough,” he said. “If he wins the nomination, he will likely face Gov. Charlie Crist, who is popular in the state even among Blacks. Crist is unpopular among the country's right wingers for supporting Obama's stimulus package and he is known as one of the more moderate Republican governors.”
In their 2010 statewide races, Davis and Meek are not the only Blacks in the country seeking key offices. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has already indicated that he will run for re-election in 2010 and New York Gov. David Paterson (D) said in October 2008 that he will run for a full-term.
Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) has not said definitely whether he will run for a full-term in 2010, though many political observers expect for him to do so.