Of course, USA Today (only place I've seen the story so far) has to put the worst possible spin on it:
Rep. Artur Davis loses bid to become first black Ala. governor
Thanks loads, guys.
Look, to the degree this contest was about race at all, it was about a black congressman who consistently voted against his constituents' interests, and shunned a President who was a personal friend, in the misguided belief that he had the nomination wrapped up and that he should triangulate to the right in order to draw votes from Republicans and Republican-leaners who were about as likely to vote for a black Democrat as they were to donate to the ACLU. And a black congressman who intenionally shunned all the state's major black political organizations and politicians as part of this strategy, and who therefore very likely lost the black vote -- as I think the exit polls will show.
Ron Sparks, whom both USA Today and I have hitherto ignored, has a really good chance in the general against whoever the Republicans throw up. That whoever is going to be someone who couldn't draw much past a quarter of a vote in today's primary and will have to go through six more weeks of campaigning.