John Lewis

=== Elections ===
==== 1986 ====
[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan greet John Lewis.jpg|thumb|right|Lewis greets President [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Nancy Reagan]] in 1987.]]
After nine years as a member of the [[U.S. House of Representatives]], Wyche Fowler gave up the seat to make a successful run for the U.S. Senate. Lewis decided to run for the 5th district again. In the August Democratic primary, where a victory was considered [[tantamount to election]], State Representative [[Julian Bond]] ranked first with 47%, just three points shy of winning outright. Lewis finished in second place with 35%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=388755 |title=GA District 5 – D Primary Race – Aug 12, 1986 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=July 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191616/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=388755|archive-date=October 29, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> In the run-off, Lewis pulled an upset against Bond, defeating him 52% to 48%.<ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=388754 |title=GA District 5 – D Runoff Race – Sep 02, 1986 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=July 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192722/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=388754|archive-date=October 29, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The race was said to have "badly strained relations in Atlanta's black community" as many Black leaders had supported Bond over Lewis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bittersoutherner.com/2020/the-way-of-john-lewis-cynthia-tucker-black-lives-matter|title=The Way of John Lewis|website=The Bitter Southerner|last1=Tucker|first1=Cynthia|year=2020|author-link=Cynthia Tucker|access-date=June 22, 2020|archive-date=July 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718103059/https://bittersoutherner.com/2020/the-way-of-john-lewis-cynthia-tucker-black-lives-matter|url-status=live}}</ref> Lewis was "endorsed by the Atlanta newspapers and a favorite of the white liberal establishment".<ref name=":0" /> His victory was due to strong results among white voters (a minority in the district).<ref name=":0" /> During the campaign, he ran advertisements accusing Bond of corruption, implying that Bond used [[cocaine]], and suggesting that Bond had lied about his civil rights activism.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/03/us/ex-colleague-upsets-julian-bond-in-atlanta-congressional-runoff.html |title=Ex-Colleague Upsets Julian Bond in Atlanta Congressional Runoff |first=Dudley |last=Clendinen |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 3, 1986 |access-date=August 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820063819/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/03/us/ex-colleague-upsets-julian-bond-in-atlanta-congressional-runoff.html |archive-date=August 20, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the November general election, Lewis defeated Republican Portia Scott 75% to 25%.<ref name="ourcampaigns1">{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=38194 |title=GA District 5 Race – Nov 04, 1986 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=July 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192925/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=38194 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== 1988–2018 ====
Lewis was reelected 18 times, dropping below 70 percent of the vote in the general election only once in 1994, when he defeated Republican Dale Dixon by a 38-point margin, 69%–31%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=28773 |title=GA District 5 Race – Nov 08, 1994 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=July 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194206/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=28773 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> He ran unopposed in 1996,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aclu.org/congressman-john-lewis |title=Congressman John Lewis |website=American Civil Liberties Union |access-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803021522/https://www.aclu.org/congressman-john-lewis |url-status=live }}</ref> 2004,<ref name="2004Election">{{cite web |url=https://history.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/2004election/ |page=16 |title=Statistics of the Congressional Election, 2004 |website=[[United States House of Representatives]] |access-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-date=July 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717013513/https://historycms2.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/2004election/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 2006,<ref name="2006Election">{{cite web |url=https://history.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/2006election/ |page=11 |title=Statistics of the Congressional Election, 2006 |website=[[United States House of Representatives]] |access-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-date=July 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717013513/https://historycms2.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/2006election/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and 2008,<ref name="2008Election">{{cite web |url=https://history.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/2008election/ |page=16 |title=Statistics of the Congressional Election, 2008 |website=United States House of Representatives |access-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-date=July 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717013513/https://historycms2.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/2008election/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and again in 2014 and 2018.<ref name="2014Election">{{cite web |url=https://history.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/2014election/ |page=12 |title=Statistics of the Congressional Election, 2014 |work=United States House of Representatives |access-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-date=July 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717013513/https://historycms2.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/2014election/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="2018Election">{{cite web |url=https://history.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/2018election/ |page=12 |title=Statistics of the Congressional Election, 2018 |website=United States House of Representatives |access-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-date=July 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717013514/https://historycms2.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/2018election/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

He was challenged in the Democratic primary just twice: in 1992 and 2008. In 1992, he defeated State Representative [[Mable Thomas]] 76%–24%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=513779 |title=GA District 5 – D Primary Race – Jul 21, 1992 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=July 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193651/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=513779 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2008, Thomas decided to challenge Lewis again; Markel Hutchins also contested the race. Lewis defeated Hutchins and Thomas 69%–16%–15%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=384597 |title=GA District 5 – D Primary Race – Jul 15, 2008 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=July 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924164420/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=384597 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>