This eek
Friendlier Face in Congress
Anti-Israel Congressman is dumped in Alabama with the help of:Jewish contributors.
LARRY BROOK
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
donations — the vast majority of which came from
Jews across the country, especially in New York.
Hilliard raised about $600,000, with less than
one-third coming from individuals. Reports to the
Federal Election Commission leading up to the
runoff showed that 28 of 35 individual donors to
Hilliard were out-of-state Muslims.
Birmingham, Ala.
n a race that could have repercussions for
strained black-Jewish relations, U.S. Rep. Earl
Hilliard is claiming that out-of-state Jewish
money bought his defeat in Alabama's
Seventh District primary.
Dificult Campaign
Political observers, however, say Hilliard, a five-
term congressman, was voted out because he was
Davis visited the April annual meeting of the
ineffective.
American Israel Public Affairs Committee to meet
Attorney Artur Davis defeated Hilliard, 56 percent to several donors and thank his Alabama supporters.
44 percent, in the Democratic primary runoff June 25.
Shortly thereafter, a flier surfaced in Alabama enti-
There is only token Libertarian opposition in the pre-
tled "Artur Davis and the Jews: Bad for Black Belt."
dominantly black district, so win-
Though it was signed with
ning the primary virtually assures
shortened versions of the names
Davis, 34, of the seat .
of two Hilliard associates, Hilliard
In 2000, Hilliard trounced
disavowed the flier and implied
political newcomer Davis by 24
that Davis wrote it to scare Jewish
points. This time around, Davis
donors into giving him more
had the money to give Hilliard
money. Davis dismissed the accu-
his first serious challenge since he
sation as nonsense.
was elected to Congress in 1992.
The large number of out-of-
The race drew national attention
state Jewish donors to Davis
because of Hilliard's outspoken
also alarmed the pro-Arab com-
views on the Middle East, exempli-
munity, which mobilized to
PrAtteis
fied by his controversial trip to
support Hilliard in what it
Libya in 1997. Hilliard also was
depicted as a test of strength
Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid,
among a handful of House of
against the "Israel lobb)i."
left, celebrates with Artur Davis at Davis'
Representatives members to vote
A Web site was established on
victory party on June 25.
against a May resolution support-
May 20 by Ahmed Bouzid of
ing Israel's fight against terror.
Palestine Media Watch. The
Hilliard advocates a Palestinian state, but insists
site said Hilliard was "under an AIPAC attack,"
that he is not anti-Israel. He seeks a "more balanced" while "his only crime is standing up for Palestinian
approach to Middle East diplomacy, he says.
rights."
Hilliard also introduced a controversial bill that
James Zogby, president of the Arab American
would require the establishment of diplomatic
Institute in Washington, devoted his May 27 col-
relations with any regime the United States has
umn to the race.
punished unilaterally — such as Cuba — but not
Davis narrowly lost to Hilliard in the June 4 primary,
with regimes punished by the rest of the world.
but won enough votes in the three-man race to force a
Last year, the House of Representatives' Ethics
runoff. Hilliard launched a new series of attacks on
Committee reprimanded Hilliard for irregularities in
Davis' out-of-state support, including a commercial
his handling of campaign funds. In previous cam-
morphing a cigar-smoking white New Yorker into
paigns where he had little or no opposition, Hilliard
Davis' face.
spent much of his money on "polling" and dona-
Hilliard also brought in Rev. Al Sharpton, Rep.
tions to political groups, and did little actual cam-
Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., and Rep. Maxine Waters,
paigning.
D-Calif., among others, to convince Alabama voters
Hilliard had never lost a race in his 28-year politi-
not to be influenced by out-of-state forces.
cal career. But the rush of support this time for
Waters claimed the effort to unseat Hilliard was a
Davis — who raised less than $90,000 in his 2000
swipe at the entire Congressional Black Caucus —
race — seemed to blindside Hilliard.
though Davis also is black. "No one special interest
Alabama Jewish activists, impressed by the
group should be able to take any of us out," she said.
Harvard-educated Davis in 2000, felt he could win
Hilliard supporters also tried to call into question
if his message could get out. They encouraged
Davis' allegiance to black voters. Many speakers and the
friends to support him. In all, Davis raised about
anti-Davis flyer noted Davis' past as a federal prosecutor.
$900,000, including almost $800,000 in individual
Davis' "only work experience was putting black
folks in jail and now he tells us that Jews are our
Larry Brook writes for the Deep South Jewish Voice.
best friend," the flyer said. "This man is very, very, •
I
_
7/ 5
!,002
24
very dangerous."
The Birmingham Times, the Southeast's largest
black weekly, wrote: "The bottom line is that Mr.
Davis sold out America by signing a decree of intent
to support Israel, according to Congressman
Hilliard. This comes very close to implying treason."
Hilliard believes Jewish groups now will set their
sights on the outspokenly anti-Israel McKinney, and
said his loss will increase tensions between blacks
and Jews.
He predicted unspecified "retribution" for Jewish
involvement in campaigns in heavily black areas.
Differing Views
Not everyone shared the dire appraisal of the situa-
tion. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, chair of
the Congressional Black Caucus, said in a statement
that "contrary to the opinions of some, this race did
not create a rift between the African-American and
Jewish members of Congress."
Davis, in fact, portrayed his victory as a harbinger
of better relations between blacks and Jews. He
sounded a unifying note at his victory party, saying
the margin of victory shows ."racial division and reli-
gious bigotry have no place in the Seventh District,"
and that voters rejected those tactics.
Noting the parade of campaigners for Hilliard that
came through Birmingham, he added, 'Anyone who
comes into this city to divide us is going to be sent
back home."
The district includes Selma and parts of
Birmingham and Montgomery, major battlegrounds
of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. The dis-
trict also includes the poorest rural areas in the state.
Much of the national attention in the race focused
on the Middle East, but Davis said the race actually
was about health care, education and economic
opportunity in a region gripped by poverty.
He said Jewish donors never asked about how he
would vote on specific issues, only about his philos-
ophy and if he is willing to work for better relations
between blacks and Jews. Alabama has approximate-
ly 9,000 Jewish citizens.
Davis noted that the Jewish community tradition-
ally has been very active in the Democratic Party and
in supporting the civil rights movement. He also said
he had to expand his fund-raising base outside the
district because donors who supported him against
Hilliard in 2000 reported suffering "repercussions."
Political observers say the race shows the continu-
ing "maturation" of the black electorate in Alabama,
which has voted out many long-time officials backed
by major organizations in the last two years.
Rather than voting based on pure sentiment — for
example, supporting Hilliard because he was the state's
first black congressman since Reconstruction —they
look for representatives who can bring results and
improvements in their lives, the observers said. ❑