A THREAD on John Lewis' 1986 election to Congress. Lewis was elected to the #GA05 after winning a contested and bitter Democratic contest in a seat that broke down 60% black and 40% white. The dynamics of the race deal with racial, economics, and Atlanta politics #gapol

When the #GA05 opened up in 86, the top candidates to emerge were John Lewis, who served on the Atlanta City Council, and Julian Bond, a George State Senator. Both were friends and major figures in the civil rights movement. But they were from diff factions in Atlanta politics

Bond was the consensus candidate for the Atlanta establishment. African-Americans had won control of the city and were building a political base. Of course as power grows (for anyone) does ethical lapses and machine-style politics.

White voters in the north end of the city were often not pleased with the administration. But this wasn't just a white vs black thing; as many African-Americans began to signal anger at a lack of progress and change in city services despite finally gaining control

Poorer African-American were unhappy with these lapses in improved services, while more middle-class African-American communities were happier. This caused a rift in the black community that John Lewis would be able to latch onto.

Lewis ran as the underdog in the race, as the candidate not of the establishment. He came in 2nd in the first round primary, but Bond was held under 50%. It broke down 47-35.

Lewis did well with white voters in the first round, but Bond won black voters 2-1.

The race got especially nasty. Accusations about how involved Bond was in the Civil Rights Movement were thrown, and rumors of drug use from Bond's estranged wife emerged. This nasty campaign had an effect and strained relations between the two maybe-former friends.

The belief was Lewis would not be able to win a runoff. But Lewis wound up taking 52% in the runoff in a major upset.

The result was a major defeat for the Atlanta establishment

Lewis won with over 80% of the vote in heavily white precincts. Meanwhile he closed the gap in African-American precincts by a large margin. The African-American community also split, as Lewis did better with poor black voters

This marked a major change in African-American voting behavior. African-Americans, not controlling Atlanta and the #GA05 - didn't need to unite to effect a result. They could splinter and disagree and pick candidates not endorsed by establishment.

Bond supporters leveled accusations (which may not be unfounded) that white voters saw Bond as "too militant" in his advocacy of issues, while Lewis running as an outsider to the Atlanta establishment gave him the feel of a more moderate voice.

Of course, Lewis was just as much a civil rights advocate as bond, but the narratives around the race as being more about Atlanta's issues def put Lewis and Bond in different camps. And white voters sided with Lewis, as did poorer African-Americans unhappy with the admin

Lewis would go on to serve until his death. He'd never face a real electoral threat and his seat would change in shape several times. But once in Congress, Lewis held his district with no issues #ga05