Can't Alabama Dems just let Patricia Todd's win stand?

The race-baiting and stupidity of the behavior of the Alabama Dems regarding the Patricia Todd win (by 59 votes) over Gaynell Hendricks in the July 18 primary runoff for the seat in the District 54 race continues.

Kathy @ Birmingham Blues is keeping tabs on the activities of Joe Reed, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference and vice chairman of the Democratic Party and his attempt to undermine the choice voters made to elect Todd by supporting the challenge to her win. There is, sadly, a history of this state party trying to manipulate the results of a primary.

In an editorial in The Birmingham News, editor Tom Scarritt is tired of the crap as well:

Voters believe their votes should count. Parties should respect that.

Instead, Reed and others are pursuing an agenda that the long-time party leader outlined in a letter to "Jefferson County Political & Civic Leaders" before the runoff. Expressing his desire to "elect blacks in majority black districts," he urged those leaders to "pull out all the stops to help elect" Hendricks, who is black.

Reed's position, he wrote, "involves the art of politics and, foremost, our group interests. We should always determine that - and not let others highjack or undermine our agenda."

This newspaper endorsed Hendricks because of her record of civic involvement and her position on such issues as transit and access to health care. The voters chose Todd, a white candidate who also is well-qualified. The party should not highjack or undermine that choice.

The contest hearing is now slated Thursday at 2:00 pm; Kathy says that she'll wrangle a way to get back to Montgomery to cover it.

Also: drop by and wish Kathy a happy belated birthday (she didn't let me know that was coming and I was there in B'ham -- you silly one!).