I suppose the only problem here is I just don't remember anything about her running for Senate again back in the '02-'03 period and you do, so, one of us has to be wrong and it's probably me
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-119238330.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/2003-02-12-moseley-braun_x.htm (last paragraph)
I highly doubt that Braun would have won the nomination, even is she decided to run (far from a given at any point). She was too controversial to go anywhere. The black voters aren't dumb. They aren't going to support a corrupt loser just because he/she is black. Otherwise we'd see Roland Burris running for a full term.
It's not like she was a total electoral disaster. She still won 47% of the vote in 1998 after numerous scandals.
Even if she didn't win the nomination, she would have stolen Obama's thunder in the black community and it would have, at the very least, led to a split in the black vote.
But he had blacks solidly behind him in that primary. Take Chicago away from him and we know how this story goes...
No. Obama own because the so called "GOP Of Illinois" refused to support one of Illinois' greatest senators for re-election. Fitgerald admitted he didn't run because he knew the GOP Of Illinois would not back him.
That's not relevant here.
There are just too many ifs and buts in your proposition. Braun might have taken a chunk of the black vote.
But who can tell me that she wouldn't have also taken a big number of white female voters from the other candidates, as the only viable woman contender?
And let's not forget that Obama wasn't exactly a shoo-in for this election. He defeated a statewide official and a multimillionaire businesman.
The man has political talent to spare.
A deeply flawed retread like Braun just wouldn't have been able to compete with a charismatic and clean new face, like Obama.
