ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Rep. Cynthia McKinney is controversial and outspoken, independent and unrepentant, all of which have endeared her to a dedicated corps of loyal supporters in her metro Atlanta district -- but not to a majority of her fellow Democrats who turned out in Tuesday's primary runoff.
For the second time in three election cycles, McKinney was defeated in a Democratic primary in Georgia's 4th District, this time by Hank Johnson, a former DeKalb County commissioner who thumped her by a margin of 59-41 percent.
Despite her defeat, McKinney was unbowed, unleashing a stemwinder of a concession speech in which she barely mentioned her opponent but praised leftist leaders in Cuba and Venezuela, took aim at the efficacy of electronic voting machines and offered several swipes at the media.
"Members of the press, as well as our political leaders, don't give us explanations that explain, or conclusions that conclude," McKinney said. "There comes a time when people of conscience are compelled to dissent."
Before she began her remarks, she played the song "Dear Mr. President," an anti-Bush anthem by Pink, and sang along, somewhat out of tune, with its critical lyrics.
"We love our country, and that is why we dissent, because we care," she said. "Either we can be a force for good, or we can rely on force and upset the world. Sadly, this administration has chosen the latter."
McKinney has been in this situation before. In 2002, she lost her primary bid after suggesting members of the Bush administration stood to profit from the war that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Two years ago, she made a successful comeback with a low-key campaign in which she largely avoided controversy.
Her denouement this time around may have come in March, when she drew national headlines with a physical confrontation with a U.S. Capitol Police officer, who challenged her after failing to recognize the six-term lawmaker at a security checkpoint.
After first claiming she was the victim of racial profiling, McKinney changed course and apologized on the House floor, and a District of Columbia grand jury refused to indict her. But the episode played into Johnson's charge on the campaign trail that she was an "embarrassment" to her constituents in the 4th District, a majority black, heavily Democratic district on the east side of metro Atlanta.
After being forced into a runoff by Johnson in the July 18 primary, McKinney went on the offensive, accusing him of accepting money and votes from Republicans who wanted to drum her out of Congress. He called her charges "desperate" and vowed to be a less divisive figure.
Given the 4th District's Democratic tilt, Johnson will be a prohibitive favorite in the fall against the Republican nominee, Catherine Davis, a human resources manager from Stone Mountain making her third bid for the seat.
Without mentioning Johnson by name, McKinney concluded her remarks by saying, "I wish the new representative of the 4th Congressional District well."
She said not a word about her own plans or political future.