Whitehead tosses his hat in the ring
Another Republican Charlie Norwood wanna be emerges from Augusta...Whitehead to run for Congress
By Valerie Rowell | Columbia County Bureau
Monday, Feb. 19, 2007 9:54 a.m. State Sen. Jim Whitehead announced Monday that he will join the race to fill the congressional seat vacated by the death of Charlie Norwood.
Mr. Whitehead, R-Evans, announced his intention to run during a news conference at the Columbia County Government Complex in Evans.
"I can't be Charlie Norwood, but I think I can be Jim Whitehead. I think I can make you proud," Mr. Whitehead said. "I had such a deep respect for Charlie, a close friendship with a great man and this compels me to run for this office."
Mr. Norwood, who represented Georgia's 10th Congressional District, died Feb. 13. Gov. Sonny Perdue will call for a special election to fill the seat.
State Rep. Barry Fleming, R-Harlem, who also had been mentioned as a candidate, introduced Mr. Whitehead at the news conference and announced that he would not run.
"It makes it a whole lot easier when you have someone like Jim Whitehead, who you know and you love and you've served with and you know he's a good man," said Mr. Fleming, who served with Mr. Whitehead on the Columbia County Commission. "No one can fill Charlie Norwood's shoes, but someone has got to go to Washington and represent and vote for us and I just know he's the right person for that."
Mr. Whitehead served on the county commission from 1995 to 2002 and was chairman for more than two years.
He was elected to the state Senate in 2004 and represents the 24th Senate District, which is made up of Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, Wilkes and parts of Elbert and Warren counties.
"I think I have proven that I know how to represent people," Mr. Whitehead said. "I can't do anything without people, and I do believe that if I ask somebody to vote for me I owe them the right to talk to me about their concerns and what I can do to represent them."
Mr. Whitehead said he would like to represent the 10th District much as Mr. Norwood did: with conservative leadership focused on providing quality education, curbing illegal immigration and eliminating wasteful government spending.
Democrat Terry Holley, who lost to Mr. Norwood in November, said he plans to run for the congressional seat again. Mr. Holley, a former schoolteacher, was re-elected in January as the Georgia Democratic Party's 10th Congressional District chairman.
With Mr. Whitehead resigning from the Senate, two area officials have announced interest in filling the open slot. Columbia County Associate Magistrate Judge and private attorney Bobby Christine and former state Rep. Bill Jackson, also a member of the state Board of Corrections, have said they are considering running.
As interest in the race grew in recent days, Columbia County
By Valerie Rowell | Columbia County Bureau
Monday, Feb. 19, 2007 9:54 a.m. State Sen. Jim Whitehead announced Monday that he will join the race to fill the congressional seat vacated by the death of Charlie Norwood.
Mr. Whitehead, R-Evans, announced his intention to run during a news conference at the Columbia County Government Complex in Evans.
"I can't be Charlie Norwood, but I think I can be Jim Whitehead. I think I can make you proud," Mr. Whitehead said. "I had such a deep respect for Charlie, a close friendship with a great man and this compels me to run for this office."
Mr. Norwood, who represented Georgia's 10th Congressional District, died Feb. 13. Gov. Sonny Perdue will call for a special election to fill the seat.
State Rep. Barry Fleming, R-Harlem, who also had been mentioned as a candidate, introduced Mr. Whitehead at the news conference and announced that he would not run.
"It makes it a whole lot easier when you have someone like Jim Whitehead, who you know and you love and you've served with and you know he's a good man," said Mr. Fleming, who served with Mr. Whitehead on the Columbia County Commission. "No one can fill Charlie Norwood's shoes, but someone has got to go to Washington and represent and vote for us and I just know he's the right person for that."
Mr. Whitehead served on the county commission from 1995 to 2002 and was chairman for more than two years.
He was elected to the state Senate in 2004 and represents the 24th Senate District, which is made up of Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, Wilkes and parts of Elbert and Warren counties.
"I think I have proven that I know how to represent people," Mr. Whitehead said. "I can't do anything without people, and I do believe that if I ask somebody to vote for me I owe them the right to talk to me about their concerns and what I can do to represent them."
Mr. Whitehead said he would like to represent the 10th District much as Mr. Norwood did: with conservative leadership focused on providing quality education, curbing illegal immigration and eliminating wasteful government spending.
Democrat Terry Holley, who lost to Mr. Norwood in November, said he plans to run for the congressional seat again. Mr. Holley, a former schoolteacher, was re-elected in January as the Georgia Democratic Party's 10th Congressional District chairman.
With Mr. Whitehead resigning from the Senate, two area officials have announced interest in filling the open slot. Columbia County Associate Magistrate Judge and private attorney Bobby Christine and former state Rep. Bill Jackson, also a member of the state Board of Corrections, have said they are considering running.
As interest in the race grew in recent days, Columbia County
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