Conspiracy Theory on 2nd Black Presidential Candidate

WASHINGTON–A question is circulating through some Washington circles: What happens if two African Americans, both with strong anti-war messages, run for the Democratic presidential nomination?
Will they split black voters’ attention, allowing the half-dozen white candidates to focus on courting moderate and independent white voters whom both parties covet, particularly in the South?
Former senator Carol Moseley-Braun, D-Ill., the only black woman elected to the Senate, announced her presidential candidacy in Chicago. Some see her move as an effort to steal momentum from Al Sharpton of New York, whom some Democrats would like to usher off the stage.
Neither has a realistic hope of gaining the White House, but political insiders are watching intently. Sharpton, a polarizing figure, is deeply disliked by many whites who consider him an unrepentant race baiter. Some middle-class and affluent blacks hold negative, if less intense, views.
Nonetheless, Sharpton has a constituency among numerous blacks, especially those who feel disenfranchised and alienated. Some political observers also say he has a small but growing base of support among white liberals who appreciate his outspokenness against a possible war with Iraq. And media reports have noted that he often does well on the stump, especially when compared with a mostly bland and rhetorically uninspiring group of rivals for the Democratic nomination.
The conspiracy theory being kicked around is that some prominent Democrats urged Moseley-Braun to join the race, figuring that her background as a senator, an ambassador to New Zealand and a law professor at DePaul University would make her a more attractive black contender than Sharpton, who continues to suffer the taint of the Tawana Brawley affair and other controversies.
Last month, Sharpton implied as much in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, questioning Moseley-Braun’s support levels. ”Who will go on the record saying they will support her?” he demanded.
In an interview last week, Donna Brazile, chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute, laughed off the conspiracy theories. She acknowledged she urged Moseley-Braun to run, but only because of her appeal as one of the few women to reach the Senate. Brazile, who managed Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, said Moseley-Braun would generate interest in the Democratic nomination among some women who otherwise might not vote. She said it was ridiculous for anyone to suggest the Democratic Party should have only one black candidate, given African Americans’ loyalty to the party.