The thinking about runoffs goes like this: A black candidate in the South could easily win a multi-candidate primary, as long as they get most of the black vote, which could be as high as the mid-to-low 30s. But in a one-on-one contest, the potential to add to that total is diminished.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who made the abolishing runoffs a cornerstone of his unsuccessful 1984 Democratic presidential campaign, said "Historically, and in many instances today, whites support white candidate regardless of how qualified an African-American candidate is.
"Even if Mike Espy does make it to the runoff in Mississippi it is unlikely that he will win the runoff--whatever runoff system is used in Mississippi" despite having the highest percentage of African-American residents in the country at 37 percent, Jackson said.
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The above quotations are from 2018 Mississippi Senate Special Election (to replace Sen. Thad Cochran).
Click here for other excerpts from 2018 Mississippi Senate Special Election (to replace Sen. Thad Cochran). Click here for other excerpts by Rev. Jesse Jackson. Click here for a profile of Rev. Jesse Jackson.
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