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New 9th District stokes old tensions
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Race
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| Contributor | User 13 |
| Last Edited | User 13 Mar 06, 2004 10:51am |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - Houston Chronicle |
| News Date | Saturday, March 6, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The two major contestants in the newly drawn 9th Congressional District are fighting a racially charged Democratic primary battle that is creating hard feelings between the candidates and among party loyalists forced to chose sides.
On one side is U.S. Rep. Chris Bell, a white congressional freshman who is fighting for a second term in a new district. On the other is Al Green, former president of the Houston chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The Bell-Green battle probably will decide who represents the heavily Democratic district. A third Democratic primary candidate, lawyer Beverly Spencer, has spent little money and had little visibility.
Attorney Arlette Molina and businessman A.R. Hassan are competing in the Republican primary, but whoever wins the GOP nomination will be a long shot at beating the Democratic nominee next fall.
Bell and Green take similar positions on most political issues. But issues haven't figured much in the race.
Instead, most of the discussion has broken into a tit-for-tat dialogue along racial lines, with both candidates saying they have the credentials needed to represent the African American population in the district.
In recent days, Bell has complained about Green taking money from a former Republican official he claims worked against African-American interests.
Green has accused Bell of misleading voters by implying that he has the endorsement of the NAACP.
Bell has said Green was wrong to claim an endorsement from the Congressional Black Caucus.
Green has accused Bell of political sleight-of-hand by touting an endorsement from a man with the same name as black radio talk show host Michael Harris of KCOH.
State Democratic Chairman Charles Soechting has sided with Bell, attracting criticism from Green supporters who claim the party has turned its back on African-Americans who have supported it for decades.
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