Lowery endorses Reed ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - Rev. Joseph Lowery Wednesday endorsed Kasim Reed for Mayor of Atlanta.

Both men said they want the conversation about the Mayoral election to move past racial politics.

WABE's Charles Edwards reports

An early analysis of whether black Atlantans should support an African-American Mayoral candidate started an ongoing conversation about race in the race.

However, Lowery told Reed supporters gathered at King Center capability trumps race as the dominant issue in this year's election. In accepting Lowery's endorsement, Reed ran with that theme.

REED: "So the only conversation I'm going to have about race is as a competition to be won because that is what this is about."

However, Lowery did remind the crowd about the civil rights movement and what it took to for blacks to get the right to vote. He says voter turnout was low in the general mayoral election partly because city residents have forgotten about those struggles.

LOWERY: "You don't know who you are Atlanta! You can't afford to fail to turn out to vote."

Lowery is one of Reed's high profile endorsers. However, 3 polls show he and Mary Norwood are basically tied with Election Day about 2 weeks away.

Charles Edwards, WABE News. © Copyright 2012, WABE