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Curtis Rush used to be a Cynthia McKinney supporter. But Rush, like a lot of DeKalb County voters, helped cast McKinney out of Congress on Tuesday.

Rush, an African-American contractor from Stone Mountain, voted for first-time challenger Denise Majette even though he has had some positive experiences with McKinney.

"She's highly accessible. She's as close as your phone is. But I think she doesn't fully understand her constituency at this point," Rush said, referring to McKinney's well-publicized affinity toward Arab groups critical of U.S. policy. "I was really annoyed by that letter to the Saudi prince. That did not represent me."

McKinney drew national criticism after she wrote an apology to a Saudi prince who offered $10 million to help the victims of the terrorist attack in New York while blaming U.S. policy for the assault. When then-New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani spurned the donation, McKinney asked Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to consider diverting his gift to African-American causes.

Majette's stunning victory in the 4th Congressional District Democratic primary seemed to confirm the emergence of moderate middle class and affluent African-Americans as an independent political base. Majette won a convincing 58 percent of the vote.

To be sure, heavy voting by Republicans who "crossed over" to the Democratic primary helped doom McKinney's re-election bid.

But a review of how people voted in the district shows Majette also made significant inroads in McKinney's working-class political base.

Majette carried predominantly African-American precincts despite a full-court press by the traditional black political machine of preachers and politicians to deliver the election to McKinney. And in deep south DeKalb, McKinney's stronghold over the last 10 years, voters failed to come out as strongly as they have in recent elections.

Ken Turner says he is a former McKinney supporter. Tuesday, he voted for Majette over the brash congresswoman.

"Just yelling and making any statement you want and thinking as long as you're black, people are going to vote for you, well, we're not that stupid," Turner said.

In the Stone Mountain area, a popular destination for middle class African-American newcomers moving to metro Atlanta, Majette prevailed. The former State Court judge also ran competitively with McKinney across a swath of central DeKalb precincts dominated by African-American voters.

Decatur businessman John Leak, who said he voted for Majette, suggested that old-style black politics don't work any more in DeKalb County.

"The appeals by the Jesse Jacksons, the [Louis] Farrakhans and the [Joseph] Lowerys fell on deaf ears," said Leak, who is an African-American. "The typical black voter didn't want to hear that. . . . The typical political kingmakers didn't play a role in this."

Of the 20 precincts that drew 1,000 voters or more to the polls, Majette carried 13, all in north DeKalb, by margins far greater than those by which McKinney prevailed in the remaining seven precincts.

And in her traditional south DeKalb stronghold, McKinney's voters didn't come out in the kind of numbers she has typically drawn. For example, at Stoneview Elementary School, a McKinney stronghold and the site of a melee over ballot access for the 1,767 people who showed up to vote in the 2000 general election, only 169 people cast ballots Tuesday, most of them for McKinney.

Majette suggested Wednesday that black voters in DeKalb have long been more diverse in their political attitudes than past elections may have indicated.

"It's the first time that black people have had a choice between two African-American, Democratic, 47-year-old women with previous political experience," said Majette. "But I would agree that it's not the same base that existed five or six years ago when she last had Democratic opposition."

Then, white voters held a majority in McKinney's congressional district. With the support of blacks and white liberals, McKinney coasted to victory in 1996 and two succeeding elections with 60 percent of the vote or more.

The demographics of the district have changed significantly since then. The 54 percent African-American majority realized in the 2000 census has assisted in the election of more black leaders at the countywide level, including DeKalb Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones. DeKalb is also home to a growing number of immigrant populations.

Majette said she welcomes the emerging diversity of DeKalb County's black population.

"It is more representative of the diversity of this region," she said, "and it bodes well for the kind of coalition building that will be most effective in helping me serve this district."

-- Staff writers Eric Stirgus and Jen Sansbury contributed to this article.