Popular Democrat Automatically Elected as GOP candidate quits Broward race

Popular Democrat Automatically Elected as GOP candidate quits Broward elections race:

• Dems say GOP pulled plug on race to lower Black turnout on election day

Democrats again accused Republicans of attempting to suppress the black vote by forcing a candidate for Broward County Supervisor of Elections to quit the race Tuesday. GOP candidate Steve Shin's withdrawal means incumbent Democratic Supervisor Brenda Snipes is automatically elected. Snipes is a popular figure in Broward County's black community who political experts say would have drawn blacks to the polls Nov. 2. Shin blamed his aborted campaign on Republican leaders, who deserted him to support Snipes. He said GOP higher-ups failed to contribute money to his campaign and repeatedly told him he had little chance of winning. Mitch Ceasar, the Broward Democratic chairman, said there was an ulterior motive to Shin's decision. He said Shin's failure to get support from GOP insiders was an attempt to discourage blacks from voting. " This is all about President Bush's re-election and has nothing to do with the supervisor's race," Ceasar said.  [more ]