McKinney Campaign Announcement Expected Soon
(APN) ATLANTA — Former US Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) is expected to soon issue a formal announcement that she is running for her old seat in the Georgia’s fourth Congressional District, to challenge US Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) in the General Election as a Green Party candidate, Atlanta Progressive News has learned.
Previously, on April 02, 2012, Atlanta Progressive News reported that McKinney was planning to run. The story was picked up by WXIA Channel 11 news [which did not adequately credit APN, citing only a “news report”], WABE radio, and Crossroad News newspaper in DeKalb County.
“I can tell you that she is considering it,” Richard Searcy, DeKalb County Green Party Co-chair, told Channel 11, adding at the time that she had not filed paperwork for a Congressional run and did not have campaign staff.
Searcy told Crossroads News that the April 02 report in APN was “premature.”
“We can’t release information on the campaign just yet,” Searcy said. “There are yet a couple of things that must be done before we ring that bell.”
Yesterday, April 21, a post appeared on McKinney’s personal Facebook page, which was also linked on McKinney’s Twitter page.
“Cynthia McKinney is making history again. The first African-American woman to serve Georgia in Congress is going back into the US House of Representatives as the first member of the Green Party USA elected to federal office,” McKinney wrote.
APN confirmed with a source familiar with the matter that the post was authentic.
“We live in exciting times. Titanic alliances are pushing our government toward brutal fascism. It takes courage to stand up and demand honesty and compassion. Cynthia has demonstrated that courage time and again, but she is not alone. She has the backing of decent, peace loving people from all around the world.”
“Will you stand with Cynthia?”
“There are more than 150,000 voters in Georgia’s 4th District who have voted for Cynthia in the past. Her campaign is targeting signatures from 30,000 registered voters in the district to qualify for the ballot this year. We’ve parsed the results of previous elections to determine which neighborhoods have the densest support for her. We’re going to go door to door to find those supporters.”
“Will you knock on doors for Cynthia?”
“The ninety days between the last of April and the last of July will be memorably intense. An historic uprising of people who believe in peace, freedom, and equality will be focused upon putting our champion onto the ballot. Be there.”
“Please sign up to canvass for Cynthia McKinney for Congress, using the attached form.”
“Email to contact is: kashimbi@earthlink.net.”
Two sources familiar with the matter told APN that the Facebook and Twitter posts were not considered a official campaign launch announcement, and that such an announcement was expected soon.
In addition, shortly after APN’s inquiry, the posts appear to have been removed from McKinney’s personal Facebook and Twitter pages, but not from her Facebook “fan” page.
This email address listed in the post belongs to Vernon Huffman, a Bike4peace member from Oregon.
“I know I’ll be spending the summer knocking on doors in Georgia. I hope y’all will join me. There are lots of couch surfing hosts around Redan,” Huffman wrote as a comment on the McKinney fan page Facebook post.
On Wednesday, April 18, Huffman posted to his personal Facebook page, “Now I’m in Georgia.”
“I’m working to elect a member of the Green Party to Congress, which will be historic,” he commented on his own post.
(END/2012)