Subject: Re: [EL] Write-in votes (and Larry Hansen)
From: Michael Malbin
Date: 11/17/2010, 7:57 AM
To: "richardwinger@yahoo.com" <richardwinger@yahoo.com>, Election Law <election-law@mailman.lls.edu>, Jerry H.Goldfeder <jgoldfeder@stroock.com>
Reply-to:
"mmalbin@cfinst.org" 


Not quite on point, but I thought this personal memory of a campaign I observed was worth sharing. In a sense, you can read it as a partial homage to times spent swapping stories with Larry Hansen, who had a lifelong concern about the politics of his home state.
 

In 1964, Charles Percy was running as the Republican candidate for Governor of Illinois against Otto Kerner, the Democratic incumbent. Comedian Dick Gregory decided toward the end of the week before Election Day to endorse Percy publicly, largely in opposition to the Daley organization.  The weekend before the election, African-American neighborhoods were flooded with flyers saying that Dick Gregory endorsed Kerner. The flyers -- which had no picture on them -- were true. But they were reflecting the endorsement of another (generally unknown and white) Richard Gregory who was standing up for the organization.  That killed Percy's last chance to persuade African American voters to split their tickets. Percy ran well ahead of Goldwater, but behind Kerner. Kerner served out his second term, was appointed a federal judge, and then was convicted for taking bribes while he was Governor (one of a long line of Illinois governors to have done so.) 
  
Michael J. Malbin
Campaign Finance Institute

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
Michael J. Malbin
Executive Director
Campaign Finance Institute
1667 K Street NW (Ste. 650)
Washington DC 20006
(202) 969-8890, ext. 28
mmalbin@cfinst.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
(Sent via Blackberry)


-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Winger <richardwinger@yahoo.com>
Sender: election-law-bounces@mailman.lls.edu
Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 07:18:57 
To: Election Law<election-law@mailman.lls.edu>; Jerry H.Goldfeder<jgoldfeder@stroock.com>
Reply-To: richardwinger@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: [EL] Write-in votes

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