Independent congressional candidacy of Jefferson's James P. Mason will effect Broun, Saxon, Fleming (photo of Barry and hometown museum sign on I-20)

Tire store marketing employee James P. Mason of Jefferson intends to enter his name on the ballot of the 10th district U.S. Congressional election here in Athens (and Augusta and north to the border), and I think his long shot independent candidacy will have equal effect on the Republican or Democratic candidates.

I salute the former Marine who served his country in Afghanistan who has taken on the established parties. We shall see how effectively young Mr. Mason markets himself in the rather disjointed district stretching from the Central Savannah River Area to the Mountains of North Carolina with a dip in Watkinsville and Washington-Wilkes.

Only one thing is for certain, Nicholson resident Bobby Saxon should have talked to his fellow Jackson County veteran in Mason and figured out why (or at least what is prompting him) he is going to run. Conventional political wisdom would prescribe that the Mason wild card will siphon off some votes from both sides of the aisle, but probably hurt Saxon the most.

If incumbent Congressman Dr. Paul Broun, Jr. survives the bruising primary battle against Harlem's Barry Fleming in July, I would think the Mason wild card will hurt Broun and Saxon equally. Apparently the first GOP debate went to Fleming the other night, which is not surprising given his rhetorical, legal and legislative experience over the good doctor of Athens Academy area in Oconee County.

If Fleming wins the GOP nod, then Saxon suffers more because there are only so many activist veterans in 10th who would vote for an independent. One must wonder where Mason is getting his signatures for the ballot and whatever fee he may or may not be paying.

Perhaps borrowing a page from the GOP strategy book more than 20 years ago, Mason may be running a pauper's campaign here in Georgia, which requires little more than signing a piece of paper saying I am poor and cannot afford the filing fees.

The rules are different for independent candidates so I do not know for certain, and this and most posts here are speculation of one political junkie's mind. I am always interested in your points-of-view on this election. Will Mason get enough signatures to get on the ballot? Will Saxon raise enough money to engineer an effective media campaign against the eventual G.O.P. candidate? Will the chasm ever heal between Augusta and Athens? Does anyone still use a television antenna and watch Augusta's often unintentionally hilarious newscast?