Greg Bluestein
July 31, 2008

ATLANTA -- Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin earned a key endorsement Wednesday from the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a famed civil rights leader whose support was long sought by Martin and his opponent Vernon Jones.

Lowery's endorsement of Martin is seen as a blow to rival Jones in the run-up to the Aug. 5 Democratic runoff. Jones, the DeKalb County chief executive, is seeking to become Georgia's first black U.S. senator.

At a press conference, Lowery called Jones a "zigzag so-called conservative Bush supporter," and bashed the Democrat for voting in 2000 and 2004 to elect President Bush. He praised Martin, a former legislator, as the "consistent Democrat."

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