BOSTON - U.S. Rep. Denise Majette on Wednesday unleashed a blistering critique of wealthy political candidates who fund their own campaigns, comments she said include Cliff Oxford, her competitor for Georgia's Democratic U.S. Senate nomination.
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In a short-but-fiery speech to Georgia delegates attending the Democratic National Convention in Boston, the first-term congresswoman also criticized some leaders of her own party for their approach to statewide elections.
"These high-stakes campaigns that consist of writing big checks and running TV ads and sitting in an office somewhere in Atlanta and deciding that you want to be the king, that doesn't work anymore," said Ms. Majette, who faces Mr. Oxford in a runoff election Aug. 10.
"You know the king-makers from both parties still court those kinds of candidates because they still believe that he who has the most gold rules," she said.
Mr. Oxford, a multimillionaire entrepreneur with no elected political experience, has already spent more than $1 million of his own wealth to grease the wheels of his television-driven campaign.
Former President Carter was among those who encouraged Mr. Oxford to make a last-minute entry into the race in late April, making him the only Democratic candidate with enough cash to mount a sizable TV presence.
Speaking immediately before Ms. Majette's remarks, Mr. Oxford told the packed delegate breakfast room that he is ready to keep spending in his quest to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Zell Miller.
"I am happy to put my resources into it because I want my children and your children to still one day live in the beautiful America that we have today," said Mr. Oxford, whose speech focused on painting U.S. Rep. Johnny Isakson, the Republican nominee, as being wrong for Georgia.
"In this primary, I have promised to make us better and not bitter. The real enemies are the Republican Party," Mr. Oxford said.
Ms. Majette finished first in the July 20 primary, an eight-way race in which she nabbed 41 percent of the vote.
Mr. Oxford slugged his way to a distant second with 20 percent, but that was still enough to keep Ms. Majette below 50 percent and force a runoff.
The eventual Democratic nominee will face Mr. Isakson in the Nov. 2 general election.
Democratic Party leaders attending the Wednesday breakfast said the sparing between the two candidates was "politics as usual" for a party runoff.
"Sometimes it takes harsh words," said House Speaker Terry Coleman, D-Eastman. "I hope they will be civil. I hope they will run a good, clean campaign."
Emory University political science professor Merle Black said Ms. Majette's comments echo criticism she has lobbed at her own party since entering the race in March, giving up a safe Democratic House seat on Atlanta's east side in hopes of becoming the first black U.S. senator in Georgia history.
Reach Brian Basinger at (404) 589-8424 or brian.basinger@morris.com.
