McHenry County Blog

Chicago Defender Executive Editor and WVON-AM mid-day talk show host Roland Martin says black politicians are “sweating bullets” over the coming gubernatorial candidacy of the Rev. and State Senator James Meeks.

"There are a group of people who are sweating bullets and hoping Meeks isn’t successful in getting the 25,000 signatures, and those are the Black state representatives, senators and aldermen. If they are forced to choose between the chair of the Black caucus or the Democratic governor, many would likely prefer to vote for Topinka!"

This comes after the following paragraph:

"A Meeks run puts on front street the claims by white conservative evangelicals that they support those who support their issues. Here you've got a guy who is against abortion, against gay marriage, for prayer in school, and provides a strong moral voice to the political discourse. So with his kind of track record, then he should be the darling of white evangelicals. But the big question is if they will leave the moderate Republican candidate, Judy Barr Topinka - who is for abortion rights and gay marriage – to vote for a Black guy. Oh, yea, a gay marriage amendment could very well be on the ballot in November. This will mean a tremendous number of people who oppose gay marriage heading to the polls, and out of the three choices, Meeks lines up best with them."

And, finally, the set-up for a question I’d like feedback on:

"But the main issue that a Meeks run means for Democrats is that it could usher in a new age where Black elected officials buck their party, and demand more for their broad support. Trust me when I say this, there are a multitude of Black eyes across America that are fixated in Illinois, and this couild launch a domino effect across the country that would unsettle Democrats’ long lock on Black voters."

What about that?

Could a Meeks' candidacy for governor lead to a realignment of American politics?

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