Miss. McCains Descended From Plantation Slaves

Mississippi descendants of McCain family slaves plan to vote for Obama
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 17, 2008 8:42 AM CDT
Miss. McCains Descended From Plantation Slaves
John McCain speaks to attendees at the 99th annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at the Duke Energy Center July 16, 2008 in Cincinnati, Ohio.    (Getty Images)

The McCain family of Teoc, Miss., is watching this year's election with particular interest, the Wall Street Journal reports. The African-American clan is descended from plantation slaves owned by the family of John McCain's great-great-grandfather. The white and black McCains meet for regular family reunions, although the senator himself has never attended.

The black McCains say they were raised to believe they were blood relatives of the white McCains, although the other family say they are unaware of a link. Racial enmity has long passed, the McCains say, but not all of them plan to vote McCain. “I am absolutely supporting Obama, and it’s not because he’s black," one McCain told the South Florida Times. "It’s because he is the best person at this time in our history." (More John McCain stories.)

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