After steadfastly refusing to call on Speaker Jim Black to resign his seat, the Uptown paper of record today calls on voters to retire Black themselves. The paper endorses Republican Hal Jordan for the state House seat.
Great news for Jordan, one supposes, but also a tad fishy.
Black’s district tilts Democrat, just as you would expect it to. That’s not to say it is impossible for a Republican to win there, but they face an up hill battle, to say the least. As such, endorsing Jordan at this late date seems awfully similar to CATS chief Ron Tober offering to resign: Mostly for show and future wiggle room.
If Black is re-elected, the paper can say we didn’t support him, voters did. That might come in handy should Black’s legal woes continue to mount.
Plus there is the wrinkle that having former Speaker Dan Blue back in the General Assembly affords. Black may well lose the Speaker’s chair to Blue next year, so the endorsement of Jordan can be seen as a pre-emptive effort to jump off the Black bandwagon.
And let’s not forget that Jordan may just pull it out, provided GOP turnout is heavy enough in the district. I’ve certainly noticed that Black is not doing much in the all-important yard-sign primary. In fact, I do not recall seeing a single Jim Black sign anywhere in Matthews these past few weeks.
