Reports of race used in Mississippi contest

It's sad to note that in 2008, some congressional battles seem to have racial components still in them, as outlined in this Tuesday story in The New York Times.

Seems as if a Democratic candidate was thought to have enough of an appeal in a conservative district that he might take over a GOP seat. Then things got ugly when a runoff was in the, umm, offing:

"Republicans say Mr. Obama’s liberal values are out of place in the district. But for many Democratic veterans here, the tactic is a throwback to the old and unwelcome politics of race, a standby in Mississippi campaigning.

"Former Gov. William Winter, a Democrat, expressed shock at the current campaign.
"'I am appalled that this blatant appeal to racial prejudice is still being employed,' said Mr. Winter, who lost the 1967 governor’s race after his segregationist opponent circulated handbills showing blacks listening to one of his speeches. Mr. Winter went on to win the governor’s office 12 years later.

"'I had thought we had gotten past that,' Mr. Winter said. 'That was a tactic that was used against me in the 1960s.'"

Winter is an adviser to the Center for a Better South.

NOTE: Democrat Travis Childers beat GOP Mayor Greg Davis by almost 8,000 votes of 107,000 cast, according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. Read more.