The Final Call

Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick reelected in decisive victory

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• Backers: Mayor's got star power (Detroit News, 11-14-2005)

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick shakes a supporter�s hand after an appearance at his election night party in Detroit, Nov. 8. Behind Mayor Kilpatrick is his mother, Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick. Photo: AFP

The mayoral contest included several personal attacks on Mayor Kilpatrick and his family by the mainstream media. Nevertheless, 53 percent of voters sent a defiant message that Kwame M. Kilpatrick was their choice for mayor.

Key to the victory was the successful mobilization of citizens at the grassroots level and endorsements from leaders like the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Reverend Jesse Jackson and Reverend Al Sharpton. Minister Farrakhan further backed his endorsement by returning and launching a stunning offensive of organizing the men of the Nation of Islam.

Under the direction of Supreme Captain Mustapha Farrakhan and local F.O.I. Captain Majied Muhammad, Brothers from various cities in the Central Region converged on the city to get the vote out. On Election Day, with less than three hours of voting remaining, Capt. Majied sent a final wave of F.O.I. in squads throughout the city, going door-to-door with transportation to the polls.

At the polls, voters expressed an urgency to ensure that the right man got into office. When asked what was the most important thing to her vote, Karen Harris replied, “To see my mayor get back in.”

An indictment on the local media, many Detroiters wanted to send a message that they did not approve of the media’s negative handling of Mayor Kilpatrick.

Christine Beatty, chief-of-staff for Mayor Kilpatrick, shared his strategy. “This is a campaign that was truly led by the mayor and the spirit of God,” she said, adding that, “The key to this election for us was high voter turnout.”

She also observed that the efforts of Minister Farrakhan were “immeasurable.”

In 2001, 138,000 residents (50 percent of eligible voters) cast their vote. At that time, the mayor won with a high percentage of youth voters. The youth vote was often used as an attempt to pit the old against the young, thus dividing the city. However, Mayor Kilpatrick’s re-election, coupled with a record turnout of voter participation, has proved that he has successfully transcended generational, gender and economic gaps.

The views of voters in this election can best be summed up by 99-year-old voter Bessie Ovelia Brock: “I’m trying to get the best candidate in.”