Dylan Glenn: Young, G.O.P. and Black

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His inner circle is made up mostly of whites, but he has also befriended Gen Xers like Yusef Jackson, son of Jesse. The balancing act is most evident in his campaign video, a multicultural melange showing Glenn with kids and farmers. At one point he is seen ambling with his parents and a golden retriever through the Georgia countryside. Dylan "never talked about race," says his mother to the camera.

What Glenn is highlighting these days is his ties to powerful Republicans, which he argues will give him more swat in Congress than either of his opponents. But that distinction could cost him in a district that is 39% black and deeply suspicious of the G.O.P. Says civil rights hero and Georgia Congressman John Lewis: "The question will be, Are you what we used to call a 'race man'?" Still, Lewis sees something else in the Glenn race: an emerging conservatism among young blacks--or at least a reluctance to sign up blindly with the Democratic Party. "As younger black professionals move up, they tend to move away from party affiliation. They could be up for grabs," he says. While most older blacks identify themselves as Democrats, a 1997 poll by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found that 42% of blacks ages 26 to 35 classified themselves as independents.

If Glenn wins in November, the person he may need to thank will be Bishop. The Democrat eked out a 54% win over a white Republican two years ago in a district that is two-thirds white, but improved that standing with good constituent service--and an occasional visit to a rattlesnake roundup. "A lot of whites were scared to vote for a black, but Sanford changed all that," agrees R.S. Smith, 65, a white retiree in Bainbridge, looking over at Glenn. "Yeah, I'll give this fella a look."