Race as a powerful electoral issue in the South
In a brief passage that expresses the power of race in the post-<cite>Brown</cite> South, Heflin notes that he got a lot of votes in his race for state Supreme Court from conservative white voters who disliked his opponent's antisegregation record. A Democrat, Heflin also received votes from black voters.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Howell Heflin, July 9, 1974. Interview A-0010. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- JACK BASS:
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Among the people who urged you to run, was Patterson's record on
segregation as governor an issue?
- HOWELL HEFLIN:
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It was with some. I ended up with support from all groups. I would think
that a sizeable group who were anti-Patterson from racial matters urged
me to run. At the same time I had extremely conservative vote. I ended
up in Mobile, which is unusual, with almost every element and segment of
society and economic life supporting me. And Mobile is largely, they
say, is largely a ticket area. So I ended up with rabid
segregationists and I ended up with the black vote. So. . .
occasionally. . . it wasn't a race in which that was primarily an issue.
But I'd say it was a significant issue among those that were opposed to
Patterson's segregation record. And a great number of those asked me to
run.
