The Mayor has some prominent black supporters, but he needs to reach more minority leadership figures who can help him in times like these.

However his black supporters have great expectations and want payback.

The 45-member community board is divided along ethnic and cultural lines over the project, with black supporters in a narrow majority.

But they ran into heavy opposition from many of the Government's black supporters.

"Our message is very simple," he told a group of black supporters in Columbus on Saturday.

The reporter later wrote about the message, which sparked an outcry from the project's black supporters.

At the same time, he appeared to try to win over some black supporters who question whether the Vice Presidency would be right for him.

To win, he has to reach out to white and Hispanic voters, while making sure black supporters vote for him in large numbers.

The resistance was slightly stronger among black supporters than white ones, but was significant in both groups.

Mr. Jackson's mainly black supporters, on the other hand, are the least likely to be moved.