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Four candidates remain in Mobile mayoral race after two withdraw and share endorsements
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Just one African-American candidate will appear on the ballot for Mayor of Mobile. Lawrence Battiste and Jermaine Burrell withdrew from the race Wednesday and officially endorsed Barbara Drummond.
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'This moment we're in calls for unity,' said Burrell, a former Mobile city councilman.
Battiste, a former police chief, says polling showed that none of the three black candidates was likely to make a runoff.
'You need to position yourself to be one or two,' Battiste said. 'If you're not one or two, it doesn't matter. Number three is the first loser. So, the goal is how do we come together and give one of us an opportunity to be in the top two?'
There are now three white candidates, and one black. The majority of voters in Mobile are African-American.
'I think this gives us a seismic shift to bring the community together,' Drummond said. 'I think that's what it has done for our campaign. What happened wasn't about race, it was about bringing our community together. We have got to build a city that is not built on divisiveness on any level. We need one that is built upon us coming together and that's what this campaign is all about.'
Drummond has been a state representative for the last decade and also serves on the board of the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System.
According to sources, internal polling had indicated that the three remaining white candidates: former judge Spiro Cheriogotis, County Commissioner Connie Hudson, and former police chief Paul Prine were vying for two spots in a likely runoff. Now, they could be fighting for one. The candidates, however, are downplaying Drummond's stature in the race.
'This is all a part of the political scene,' said Hudson. 'These things happen. But I'm happy how things are moving forward.'
'I think like in any race, it all depends on who turns out to vote,' said Cheriogotis. 'I'm hoping I can turn out 100 percent of my supporters.'
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The election is August 26. A runoff, if necessary, would take place September 23.
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