The run up to this run off was all about the possibility that Ed Oakley would make history by being the first openly gay mayor to head a major U. S. city. Instead, it was Tom Leppert who made Dallas political history by getting more Black votes than any white candidate who had ever been demonized by a Democratic opponent as a Republican who would do harm to the Black community. Leppert’s historic win showcased his ability to build a diverse political base and his win signaled the end of the John Price group as a dominant political force in Black Dallas.

I don’t have all of the numbers yet, but it is pretty clear that Tom Leppert received more Black votes than most political watchers ever thought he would get and far more votes than Ed Oakley could stand to give up. How did he do it? First, Leppert proved on the campaign trail that he was comfortable being around African-Americans and thus, Black folks were comfortable with Tom Leppert. Second, the Willis Johnson group who ran Leppert’s southern sector campaign was extremely effective in introducing Tom Leppert to the Black community. Third, Tom Leppert owes a debt of gratitude to the Ed Oakley campaign for going negative.

Somebody told Ed Oakley to demonize Tom Leppert as a Republican who would abuse the Black community. That strategy might have worked if Mr. Oakley had been a Black Democrat. But it would hardly have the same impact on Black voters when the race was between two white men. But once the race went negative, Leppert’s Black supporters were forced to defend their position by pointing out that Ed Oakley was gay. Of course, many pundits are now trying to play down just how much of an issue Mr. Oakley’s lifestyle was for local voters. The reality is that Black faith-based voters are conservative when it comes to sexual issues. Ed Oakley’s lifestyle hurt him with conservative Black voters more then Tom Leppert being a Republican in a non partisan election. Let me say for the record: I don’t think Ed Oakley’s lifestyle should have been an issue for voters, but the fact is for a large segment of Black voters, it was an undeniable issue.

Oakley’s campaign also made the critical mistake of bringing on the John Price group to handle his Black affairs. The John Price group was fresh off of having destroyed Max Well’s efforts in the southern sector. From what I heard out of the Oakley camp, Kathy Neely and Demetris Sampson of the John Price group quickly created all kinds of catfights and chaos inside the Oakley campaign. I still don’t quite understand why Ed Oakley kicked to the curb some of his most loyal, long time political allies to make room for the John Price group. But once Mr. Price came aboard, the anti- John Price factions in the Black community were immediately energized to go out and beat the John Price group. So, what should have been an easy task of mobilizing black southern sector voters to support Ed Oakley became a continuation of the political civil war being waged in the southern sector between the John Price group and just about every other Black political group South of the Trinity.

Here are some highlights from the campaign: City Councilman elect, Dwaine Caraway, and his wife, State Rep. Barbara Mallory-Caraway, gave the Leppert campaign street savvy grass roots political credibility in the southern sector by walking with Leppert in their Oak Cliff districts. Rev. Freddie Haynes III endured insults and second guessing but he held strong as Leppert’s earliest, high-profiled Black supporter. Lynn Flint-Shaw organized the “Super Sunday Get Out The Vote” event that provided a large percentage of Black voters for Leppert and gave the Leppert campaign an early indication that they would not be run out of the southern sector. Rev. Rickie Rush surprised everyone by not showing up for the Super Sunday event that he co-sponsored but he made up for his absence by sending an unprecedented 600 plus voters from his church to early vote on the last two days of early voting. Most of those votes went to Tom Leppert.

There are several stories and personalities that emerged in the southern sector during this campaign. I will highlight them all in the coming weeks. Tom Leppert’s campaign did make history in Dallas politics by proving that a white candidate who is sincere and not afraid of being around Black folks and who puts together the right team can overcome political labels and do well in the Black community. For you John Wiley Price watchers, he is not completely dead politically but the last few elections prove conclusively that John Price, Kathy Neely, and Demetris Sampson who make up the core of the John Price group, are no longer dominant political forces in Black Dallas. At least that is how I see it from South of the Trinity.

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