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Washington Prowler

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One would think that given the serious nature of the challenge posed by DeKalb County Judge Denise Majette, McKinney would button up, keep her mouth shut and run like an incumbent uninterested in the competition. Well, one would be wrong.

McKinney let loose this week with an outrageous radio ad. "Abuse of power is sometimes an angry, out-of-control cop beating up a teenager in California," the ad says. "Sometimes it's an angry, out-of-control judge like Denise Majette."

The California cop reference is meant to liken Majette's actions on the bench to those of Southern California police officer Jeremy Morse, who in early July was caught on videotape slamming a handcuffed 16-year-old African American onto the hood of a police car.

Majette's supposed crime? In a 1998 case she sentenced a woman to two days in jail and fined her $1,000 for speeding. Before the ad ran, McKinney had implied that Majette was a stealth Republican candidate and she questioned Majette's racial heritage.

McKinney's seat was thought to be a safe one, and she wasn't expected to face a serious Republican challenger. Meaning if Majette wins the Democratic nomination, it's assumed she too will coast to victory. "Believe me, there are a lot of people in the Democratic Party who wouldn't cry if McKinney were out of there," says a DNC source. "One less headache sounds good to me."

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