The Higher Education of the Man Who Derailed Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney’s Reelection Bid

In last week’s runoff primary, Hank Johnson, a DeKalb County commissioner, easily defeated incumbent Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney in the Democratic primary for Georgia’s Fourth District. McKinney, a highly controversial figure, came under fire earlier this year after she scuffled with a Capitol Hill police officer.

A criminal defense attorney, Johnson is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University. He earned his law degree at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston.

Johnson will be the heavy favorite this November in the race against Catherine Davis, an African American who won the GOP nomination. Davis completed a double major in psychology and education in just three years at Tufts University, graduating magna cum laude. She went on to earn a law degree at the University of Bridgeport.

Copyright © 2006. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.