American Notes GEORGIA

Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young wanted to accomplish in Georgia what L. Douglas Wilder had in Virginia last year: become his state's first black Governor. But Young's dream went a-glimmering last week as lieutenant governor Zell Miller drubbed him in a runoff for the Democratic nomination, winning 62% of the vote.

While some of Young's supporters blamed racism for his defeat, most observers gave more credit to Miller's single-minded support of a state lottery; Young wanted to put the idea to a referendum. Young's critics charged that he had started his campaign too late. The crowning irony: Young, who first gained fame as an aide to Martin Luther King Jr., did not pay enough attention to black voters, losing some to Miller and failing to inspire a large black turnout.