Speaking in code

Say, remember during last year's presidential election, when John McCain and Sarah Palin referred to Barack Obama as "socialist," how some protested, exclaiming that "socialist" was a code word for "black"?

Well I notice that in the Atlanta mayoral race that Kasim Reed has run commercials calling front runner Mary Norwood "a Republican."

This raises the question: Is "Republican" a code word for "white"?

Just asking.