National perspective on 10th district race
Even Before Election Day is Set, the Ballot Takes Shape In Georgia 10
By Rachel Kapochunas | 5:51 PM; Feb. 20, 2007 | Email This Article
Republican state Sen. Jim Whitehead announced Monday that he is a candidate for the not-yet-scheduled special election in Georgia’s 10th District, ensuring that there will be competition between politically experienced candidates for the seat left vacant by the death of veteran Republican Rep. Charlie Norwood.
There are signs that Whitehead could emerge as the early front-runner in the 10th, a conservative-leaning Republican stronghold in northeastern Georgia.
Republican state Rep. Barry A. Fleming, who was considered a potential candidate for the pending special election, introduced Whitehead and offered his public endorsement at the press conference, essentially taking himself out of the running. The men both hail from Columbia County, north of Augusta, and would likely split home-base support if they both participated in the House race.
Joel McElhannon, Whitehead’s general consultant and campaign manager, told CQPolitics.com Tuesday that the campaign also expected former one-term 12th District Republican Rep. Max Burns to attend Monday’s press conference, but he was not present.
Though Burns represented a small part of the current 10th during his 2003-05 House tenure — and has been mentioned as a possible contender to succeed Norwood — McElhannon said Burns “will not be a candidate for this race.” McElhannon added that he anticipates Burns will publicly announce his support for Whitehead.
Whitehead was preceded into the race by a fellow Republican state senator, Ralph T. Hudgens, who lost to Norwood in the 1994 Republican House primary.
Hudgens drew criticism from some quarters by telling a local paper — even before the 65-year-old Norwood succumbed to cancer at his home in Augusta — that he would run if there were to be a vacant seat, and then telling reporters on Feb. 13, the day Norwood died, that he definitely is a candidate.
Republican Bob Young, a former mayor of Augusta, is considered a potential candidate. The Athens-Banner Herald reported Monday that Willie Green, a former National Football League player who was born in the district, is interested in running either as a Republican or an independent.
Former Athens-Clarke County Mayor Doc Eldridge is also considering entering the race. Eldridge, who ran for mayor as a Democrat, told local news outlets that he will run as a Republican if he does indeed enter the election.
One Democrat moved swiftly to establish a place in the special election contest: Terry Holley, a small-business owner who took 33 percent of the vote in a lopsided loss to Norwood last November.
Under a timeline set by state law, Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue has until Feb. 23 to announce the special election date, which must take place at least 30 days after that announcement.
All candidates regardless of party will appear on a single primary ballot. Should a candidate win a majority vote, he or she would be deemed the outright winner. If that does not happen, the top two vote-getters, again regardless of party, would move on to a runoff.
The contest will be an all-or-nothing gamble for Whitehead, Hudgens and any other elected officials who choose to enter the race. Under state law, all public office holders are required to step down from their positions when they qualify for a congressional race.
At his press conference Monday at the Columbia County Government Center, Whitehead said he is running to continue Norwood’s “legacy of conservative leadership,” including “stopping” illegal immigration and wasteful spending and “supporting educational opportunities.”
McElhannon stressed that Whitehead’s desire for Norwood’s seat extends beyond political ambition: He said the two men had been personal friends for decades.
“He’s sincere when he says he feels compelled to run because of that friendship and that relationship,” said McElhannon, who added that Whitehead and Norwood were “eye to eye” in terms of political ideology.
Norwood — while best known for his promotion of a “patient’s bill of rights” that led him to work across the partisan aisle — had a strongly conservative record on social and most other issues. He consistently aligned with his party: On House votes in 2006 that pitted most Republicans against most Democrats, Norwood took the GOP line 99 percent of the time.
Whitehead’s connection to Norwood is already beginning to benefit his campaign, said McElhannon.
“In the coming weeks, you’re going to see a large number of Norwood’s grass-roots team is going to be part of the Whitehead team,” McElhannon said. Norwood was a popular congressman for both his personal demeanor and political views, and the support from his staff would be a boost to Whitehead.
Hudgens, meanwhile, is staging his fourth run for Congress. He lost a 1988 race to Democratic Rep. Charles Hatcher in a southwestern Georgia district, was bested by Democrat Don Johnson in a 1992 open-seat race in northeastern Georgia, and then narrowly lost the 1994 Republican primary runoff that was the prelude to Norwood’s 1994 general election victory over Johnson.
The district’s demographics indicate it is likely to remain in Republican hands — even though Clarke County, the Democratic-leaning home base of Democratic Rep. John Barrow, was annexed to the new 10th District when the Republican-led state legislature redrew the congressional district lines in 2005.
At the time, Republicans had hoped to weaken Barrow’s re-election bid by giving the county, which includes the city of Athens and the University of Georgia, to Norwood since he had a strong re-election record. Despite the addition of these areas, the 10th continues to lean to the right, and reapportioned numbers show that residents of the current 10th gave President Bush 65 percent of their votes in 2004.
Nonetheless, Democratic hopeful Holley told CQPolitics.com Friday that Republicans who contend the seat is “safe” for them should re-examine the local politics landscape today.
“I think that they were wrong about the Congress to begin with, it didn’t stay ‘red,’” Holley said of the GOP, with a reference to the color frequently used to denote Republican districts. “I think it’s a new day in Georgia politics.”
Holley said he is running because he believes the Republican Party is “out of touch,” especially when it comes to the needs of working-class families. “And I think my views are in line with what the American people want, which is evidenced by the 110th Congress,” Holley said.
But Holley may not end up alone trying to prove that proposition on the Democratic side. Former Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Tom Chasteen is rumored to be weighing a bid, as well as state Rep. Alan Powell and lawyer David Bell, who as the 1996 Democratic challenger gave Norwood the closest race of his House career, holding him to 52 percent.
By Rachel Kapochunas | 5:51 PM; Feb. 20, 2007 | Email This Article
Republican state Sen. Jim Whitehead announced Monday that he is a candidate for the not-yet-scheduled special election in Georgia’s 10th District, ensuring that there will be competition between politically experienced candidates for the seat left vacant by the death of veteran Republican Rep. Charlie Norwood.
There are signs that Whitehead could emerge as the early front-runner in the 10th, a conservative-leaning Republican stronghold in northeastern Georgia.
Republican state Rep. Barry A. Fleming, who was considered a potential candidate for the pending special election, introduced Whitehead and offered his public endorsement at the press conference, essentially taking himself out of the running. The men both hail from Columbia County, north of Augusta, and would likely split home-base support if they both participated in the House race.
Joel McElhannon, Whitehead’s general consultant and campaign manager, told CQPolitics.com Tuesday that the campaign also expected former one-term 12th District Republican Rep. Max Burns to attend Monday’s press conference, but he was not present.
Though Burns represented a small part of the current 10th during his 2003-05 House tenure — and has been mentioned as a possible contender to succeed Norwood — McElhannon said Burns “will not be a candidate for this race.” McElhannon added that he anticipates Burns will publicly announce his support for Whitehead.
Whitehead was preceded into the race by a fellow Republican state senator, Ralph T. Hudgens, who lost to Norwood in the 1994 Republican House primary.
Hudgens drew criticism from some quarters by telling a local paper — even before the 65-year-old Norwood succumbed to cancer at his home in Augusta — that he would run if there were to be a vacant seat, and then telling reporters on Feb. 13, the day Norwood died, that he definitely is a candidate.
Republican Bob Young, a former mayor of Augusta, is considered a potential candidate. The Athens-Banner Herald reported Monday that Willie Green, a former National Football League player who was born in the district, is interested in running either as a Republican or an independent.
Former Athens-Clarke County Mayor Doc Eldridge is also considering entering the race. Eldridge, who ran for mayor as a Democrat, told local news outlets that he will run as a Republican if he does indeed enter the election.
One Democrat moved swiftly to establish a place in the special election contest: Terry Holley, a small-business owner who took 33 percent of the vote in a lopsided loss to Norwood last November.
Under a timeline set by state law, Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue has until Feb. 23 to announce the special election date, which must take place at least 30 days after that announcement.
All candidates regardless of party will appear on a single primary ballot. Should a candidate win a majority vote, he or she would be deemed the outright winner. If that does not happen, the top two vote-getters, again regardless of party, would move on to a runoff.
The contest will be an all-or-nothing gamble for Whitehead, Hudgens and any other elected officials who choose to enter the race. Under state law, all public office holders are required to step down from their positions when they qualify for a congressional race.
At his press conference Monday at the Columbia County Government Center, Whitehead said he is running to continue Norwood’s “legacy of conservative leadership,” including “stopping” illegal immigration and wasteful spending and “supporting educational opportunities.”
McElhannon stressed that Whitehead’s desire for Norwood’s seat extends beyond political ambition: He said the two men had been personal friends for decades.
“He’s sincere when he says he feels compelled to run because of that friendship and that relationship,” said McElhannon, who added that Whitehead and Norwood were “eye to eye” in terms of political ideology.
Norwood — while best known for his promotion of a “patient’s bill of rights” that led him to work across the partisan aisle — had a strongly conservative record on social and most other issues. He consistently aligned with his party: On House votes in 2006 that pitted most Republicans against most Democrats, Norwood took the GOP line 99 percent of the time.
Whitehead’s connection to Norwood is already beginning to benefit his campaign, said McElhannon.
“In the coming weeks, you’re going to see a large number of Norwood’s grass-roots team is going to be part of the Whitehead team,” McElhannon said. Norwood was a popular congressman for both his personal demeanor and political views, and the support from his staff would be a boost to Whitehead.
Hudgens, meanwhile, is staging his fourth run for Congress. He lost a 1988 race to Democratic Rep. Charles Hatcher in a southwestern Georgia district, was bested by Democrat Don Johnson in a 1992 open-seat race in northeastern Georgia, and then narrowly lost the 1994 Republican primary runoff that was the prelude to Norwood’s 1994 general election victory over Johnson.
The district’s demographics indicate it is likely to remain in Republican hands — even though Clarke County, the Democratic-leaning home base of Democratic Rep. John Barrow, was annexed to the new 10th District when the Republican-led state legislature redrew the congressional district lines in 2005.
At the time, Republicans had hoped to weaken Barrow’s re-election bid by giving the county, which includes the city of Athens and the University of Georgia, to Norwood since he had a strong re-election record. Despite the addition of these areas, the 10th continues to lean to the right, and reapportioned numbers show that residents of the current 10th gave President Bush 65 percent of their votes in 2004.
Nonetheless, Democratic hopeful Holley told CQPolitics.com Friday that Republicans who contend the seat is “safe” for them should re-examine the local politics landscape today.
“I think that they were wrong about the Congress to begin with, it didn’t stay ‘red,’” Holley said of the GOP, with a reference to the color frequently used to denote Republican districts. “I think it’s a new day in Georgia politics.”
Holley said he is running because he believes the Republican Party is “out of touch,” especially when it comes to the needs of working-class families. “And I think my views are in line with what the American people want, which is evidenced by the 110th Congress,” Holley said.
But Holley may not end up alone trying to prove that proposition on the Democratic side. Former Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Tom Chasteen is rumored to be weighing a bid, as well as state Rep. Alan Powell and lawyer David Bell, who as the 1996 Democratic challenger gave Norwood the closest race of his House career, holding him to 52 percent.
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