It was a sign of the political times this week when the only white male Democrat in the chamber, state Sen. Steve Henson of DeKalb County, announced he would not seek re-election in 2020. With white male Democratic office-holders becoming ever scarcer in the South and elsewhere, minority coalitions are becoming more dominant within the party.
Consider this in the case of Henson: He survived a Democratic Party primary scare in 2018, finishing just 111 votes ahead of an unknown black challenger, Sabrina McKenzie. It was obviously a close call. And while he says that wasn’t the reason for his post-2020 departure, party observers say it probably was.
By the way, Henson was also the minority leader in the Senate, serving with 20 other Democratic senators. So with women a majority within his caucus, predictions are that a black or white female will succeed him.
Interestingly, a former colleague who served with him in the Senate— now-state GOP chairman David Shafer– told InsiderAdvantage this about Henson’s retirement: “I always liked Steve personally. He is much more liberal than I am, but he is reasonable. Sadly, today’s Democratic Party doesn’t reward reasonableness. I am glad Steve is able to retire with dignity.”
Democratic political strategist Tharon Johnson had this to say: “In his nine years of service, Henson has made Senate Democrats a force to be reckoned with. He is leaving behind big shoes to fill and we’re lucky to have so many qualified individuals to take over as minority leader. Four or six years, we might even be calling that person majority leader.”
