Alabama: Todd asks Democratic Party to dismiss contest
AP reports: The white victor in the Democratic runoff for a legislative seat called on the party Wednesday to throw out a contest challenging her victory, claiming it was wrongly funded by a powerful black party leader who wants a black to win the position.
Patricia Todd, a white lesbian seeking to become the first openly gay member of the Alabama Legislature, said party vice chairman Joe Reed personally paid for a challenge filed on behalf of her black opponent, Gaynell Hendricks.
Reed, longtime chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference, the party's black caucus, denied that he or the ADC paid the contest fee for Hendricks.
Before Todd's 59-vote win over Hendricks on July 18, Reed distributed a letter in which he urged black leaders to support Hendricks because of her race.
After the vote, Todd said, Reed paid the party's fee to consider a challenge filed by Hendricks' mother-in-law. State party rules require that whomever challenges an election pay the fee, Todd said at a news conference. -- AP Wire | 08/16/2006 | Gay candidate asks Alabama Democrats to dismiss contest
The full statement is here, which is also the address of Todd's website.
Disclosure: Patricia Todd is my client in the election contest.