When Louisiana State Senator Elbert Guillory, a black Republican spoke out against Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu, his words went viral. When Democrat Arizona State Senator Leah Landrum Taylor endorsed the Republican candidate in the Arizona Secretary of State’s race, the news was muffled at best.
Landrum Taylor endorsed State Senator Michele Reagan for the office, rejecting the Democrat retread candidate Terry Goddard. Landrum Taylor was joined by other African Americans in the state, including community activist Mel Hannah, Reverend Dr. CT Wright, former lawmaker Cloves Campbell, and Phoenix City Councilman Michael Johnson.
“Pulling together a coalition like this doesn’t happen by accident. Michele’s message of fairness, equality and inclusiveness in Arizona elections are ideas we should all be proud to support. I am confident Michele will deliver on these principles. There is no one more knowledgeable, passionate or prepared to be Arizona’s Chief Elections Officer,” said Landrum Taylor in a statement released by Reagan’s campaign.
Landrum Taylor and Senator Reagan worked closely in their years at the legislature crafting policies that benefit all Arizonans. According to the two, working across the aisle is something they have been doing for over a decade at the State Capitol.
“Leah Landrum Taylor has been an incredible Senator who has always done what is right. While we have not agreed on every issue, we understand the need for election reform. I am honored to be endorsed by her and so many great leaders throughout our community. Our campaign is going to work with all parties to make elections fair and transparent,” said Reagan.
The well-respected Landrum Taylor was essentially shoved out of the Democrat Secretary of State Primary to make room for the former Attorney General Goddard. Goddard, one of the dem’s anointed has tried and failed in every way imaginable to get the top spot in the state. But in the state of Arizona, the surest way into the Governor’s office is through the Secretary of State’s office.
The Democrat establishment does not countenance contested primaries and Landrum Taylor had to go to make room for the good ol’ boys’ choice.
Last week, the Yellow Sheet reported, “Aside from adding to Reagan’s bipartisan credentials after her endorsements from Hernandez and Miranda, the endorsements highlight a schism between the black community and the Arizona Democratic Party, which included anger by the African American community at Goddard’s entry into the race earlier this year. Goddard’s decision to get into the race was also sandwiched between two other flashpoints – the 2013 Phoenix City Council District 8 race between Kate Gallego and Warren Stewart, and Landrum Taylor’s ouster as Senate minority leader at the end of the 2014 session.
Cloves Campbell said that the endorsements weren’t due to Goddard’s campaign per se, but that it had a lot to do with the black community’s concerns that the party is taking it for granted, reported the Yellow Sheet.
“The Democratic Party, particularly here in the state of Arizona, has taken the African-American vote for granted. There’s little, if any, outreach to us, and only when it’s last minute do we see them come to talk to us. We just haven’t been courted the way they’ve courted the Hispanic community, the LGBT community and others,” Campbell told the Yellow Sheet’s reporter.
“Why should the Democrat Party court the black vote , they have never had to. When African Americans told Barack Obama we have your back, they meant it,” said James T. Harris, a popular radio host and national speaker on conservative issues. “What they are beginning to understand is that he doesn’t have their back and never did. It took President Obama supporting gay marriage and opening up the border to wake up Americans of African descent. Word of caution, they must be independent minded because the Republicans are not going to court them either.”