by Eric Dondero

The city of Atlanta has never had a Republican Mayor. That could change on Tuesday with the election of Mary Norwood. She is currently leading two other candidates in the polls, and the very latest poll numbers suggest she's expanding that lead. Norwood is at 45%, and her nearest rival at 25%.

Norwood, a "fiscally conservative white City Councilwoman" as described by the local government-run NPR, is challenging two Democrat opponents; Sen. Kasim Reed and Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders. The State Democrat Party is worried that they're splitting the vote. They've opened up the attacks on her for her Republican ties, and background, even claiming she's a "Reaganite."

From Narbosa.com, Nov. 1:

"As far as we’re concerned, Mary Norwood’s a Republican. She’s been trying to dodge the issue of her partisan allegiance," Kidd said. "We’re concerned that she’s not being truthful about her party affiliation. We think that she should be called out on that."

Meanwhile, the Reed campaign is slamming Norwood for her Republican values.

And the State Democrat Party just sent out a citywide flyer linking Norwood to libertarian-leaning Republican Sarah Palin. See a copy of the flyer at AJC.

Norwood for her part, claims to be completely affiliated as an Independent. And offers that she voted for Ross Perot in 1992. Though, records show she's voted in the GOP primaries, more so than in Democrat elections. In fairness, when asked by a TV interviewer if she "ever voted for Reagan," she avoided giving a straight answer, pivoting to another subject.

From CBS Atlanta:

Since 1990, Norwood has chosen the Republican ballot in primaries 12 times. She’s chosen the Democratic ballot just six times, mostly in recent years.

She also lives in the only Republican section of town - Buckhead. She admits to having attended Republican conventions in the past. And she has received support from prominent Republicans in the business community.

Atlanta pundits view the "Republican" label as the kiss of death in citywide elections.

The Democrats could turn things around if they keep Norwood under the critical 50% mark, which would cause an automatic run-off.

Countering the Democrat attacks, Norwood just received a huge endorsement: Dominic Wilkins of the Atlanta Hawks. Over the weekend Robo calls from Wilkins hit households all over Atlanta.