Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin won't give the nod to Cox or Taylor

Jim Tharpe of the ajc reports:

The woman who could play a pivotal role in Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial primary has decided to quietly watch the high-profile race from the sidelines.

Cox and Taylor have sought Franklin's backing, and some political pundits had speculated that she would side with Cox, who wants to become the state's first female governor. Cox and Franklin are both high-profile women in the Democratic Party, both are backed by many of the same constituencies and both move easily among the Democratic factions in metro Atlanta, where Cox needs a strong showing to defeat Taylor.

[Michael] Binford [, a Georgia State University political scientist] said that even if Franklin had planned to endorse Cox, the recent flap she caused in metro Atlanta's politically active gay community probably nixed the idea. Gay voters were a key Demographic in Franklin's mayoral wins, and she has aggressively courted the gay community during her campaigns.

"It makes it less likely that she [Franklin] would come out for Cathy Cox in the primary," Binford said. "The gay constituency is pretty substantial for an Atlanta election. When Cathy stumbled over that issue, it became a reason not to step in."