EthnicMajority

(CNN) In his campaign to become Alabama’s first African-American Democratic nominee for governor, U.S. Rep. Artur Davis downplayed race, bucked the black establishment and watched his opponent rack up endorsements from the state’s key minority political groups.

His strategy was unconventional, but in the days before the election, it appeared to be working. Davis held a steady lead over Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks in the weeks leading up to the primary, but when the votes came in Tuesday night, Sparks pulled out the win — stomping Davis with more than 60 percent of the vote.

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(USA Today) Rep. Artur Davis has lost his bid to become the first African American elected governor in Alabama, the Associated Press has reported.

State Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks appears to have easily beat Davis, a Harvard-trained lawyer and friend of President Obama, in the Democratic primary.

Davis had angered civil rights groups such as the Alabama New South Coalition and the Alabama Democratic Conference by bypassing their endorsement process. Those groups backed Sparks, who is white. Davis had said he had wanted to take his case directly to black voters, who traditionally make up about half of Democratic primary voters in Alabama.

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(AP) A well-funded black congressman has a shot at becoming the first African-American to win the Democratic nomination for governor of Alabama, even without the backing of the state’s traditional civil rights organizations.

But a victory for Rep. Artur Davis in Tuesday’s primary may be a short-lived milestone.

In a state that has gone Republican in five of the last six votes for governor, GOP candidates may draw more voters and are jostling for attention, particularly Tim James. The son of a two-term governor, James has aired blunt ads against illegal immigrants that set off fierce Internet debate and gave new momentum to his campaign.

There is no clear leader in either primary, and voter interest seems sidetracked by economic doldrums and worries over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that threatens Alabama shores.

Blacks make up nearly half of those who can vote in the Democratic primary, but Davis may have hurt his chances by scorning the state’s four major black political groups. The four have thrown their support behind his white opponent, state Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks.

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