No hearing for Patricia Todd on her win in Alabama

Kathy at Birmingham Blues drove over to Montgomery to the Alabama Center for Commerce for the hearing on the House District 54 Dem race, which openly gay candidate Patricia Todd won by a slim margin. Her win is being contested by Gaynell Hendricks, who lost by 59 votes in the July 18 runoff. (Earlier post here).

The hearing today was canceled, with the State Democratic Party Executive Committee citing a mix-up over who was supposed to serve at the hearing.

What a lame mess. And unfortunate, too, as the racial divide rears its ugly head.

Kathy:

There looked to be about an even split between supporters of Patricia Todd and supporters of Gaynell Hendricks. Sadly, the sides were racially split as well, with just a few conspicuous black faces among the Todd group, including Charlie Williams, who ran for the nomination initially but endorsed Patricia in the runoff. Patricia's attorney was dressed in a Matlock suit, as were several of the other lawyers.

We sat waiting for the state Democratic Party subcommittee that would hear testimony and decide if Patricia would retain her nomination. News cameras at the ready, the buzz of conversation, and a bit of sweat as the room got warmer. Patricia was holding a particularly nasty flyer from the campaign, admonishing the reader to BEWARE the lesbian candidate. How does she laugh this off? I’d be devastated by the hatred.

Charlie Williams who lent his support to Todd, was told by a Hendricks supporter that he was "a man without a country" because he supported a Todd, a white candidate.

The problem here is that some of Hendricks supporters are now playing the race card, after trying out the gay card and having that blow up in their faces since Todd has been out and never hid the fact that she is a lesbian. It's truly sad.

Go read all of Kathy's first-hand account, "A Total Bust."