in a ‘blue’ county assess the area’s primary colors

By

JOAN GANDY

and

KERRY WHIPPLE

The Natchez Democrat

Casey Kelly has never voted along party lines and, as a newcomer to Natchez, he has not figured out the local Democrat versus Republican question. He does know how he will vote, however.

&uot;I came out of the military as a Republican,&uot; he said.

&uot;But once I went to work, I became a Democrat. I’ve never voted strictly for the party, but I am a union man, and that puts me in the Democratic side, I guess. My position now is that anything that gets Bush out of office is for me.&uot;

Richard Burke, a student at the Natchez campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College, feels just the opposite.

&uot;Anything that keeps John Kerry out of office is for me,&uot; he said. &uot;I’m not a super-right Republican, but I’m with that party on economic and moral issues.&uot;

That Natchez traditionally has voted for a Democratic nominee in presidential elections in recent times does not bother either Kelly or Burke.

Richard’s cousin, Josh Burke, also a student at Co-Lin, said the voting trend in Natchez is to be expected.

&uot;This town has always been liberal throughout its history,&uot; he said.

The approximately evenly divided racial makeup of the city and county is said to have an impact on the choices made on election days.

Katrika Montgomery, 19, has not made up her mind. She has registered to vote, however, in what will be her first presidential election. &uot;My mom is a Democrat,&uot; she said. &uot;She wants me to vote that way.&uot;