Chambliss: GOP must return to Reagan principles

Newly re-elected Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss said Wednesday the GOP must get back to the principles preached by Ronald Reagan if it is to win elections in the future.

Hours after his Tuesday night runoff win against Democrat Jim Martin, Chambliss said his decisive win in the nationally watched election proves that voters still support the Reagan mantras of “smaller government, fiscal responsibility, more individual rights and lower taxes.”

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Jason Getz/jgetz@ajc.com

U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) shakes hands with supporters after winning his runoff election Tuesday night against Jim Martin.

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“That’s what we said on the campaign trail, and it resonated with voters,” Chambliss said during a Wednesday morning appearance on the Fox News channel.

Two hours later, at a news conference at his Cobb County campaign headquarters, Chambliss said he believes his double-digit runoff win can be a “model” for Republicans in the next election cycle.

“This is the first election of 2010,” he said as movers in the background were already carting out furniture and volunteers prepared to head home.

Chambliss restated his opposition to an auto industry bailout and his commitment to protecting gun rights.

“We have 41 votes now [in the Senate] and we have the ability to protect those second amendment rights,” he said.

Chambliss, whose senate runoff victory denies the Democrats any chance at a slam-dunk majority in the U.S. Senate, praised Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who made a four-city campaign tour for Chambliss in Georgia the day before the election. He described her as “dynamite.”

“I can’t overstate the impact she had down here.” he said. “When she walks in a room, folks explode. They packed the house everywhere we went.”

Chambliss also had kind words for Martin, his old Sigma Chi fraternity brother at the University of Georgia in the 1960s. The four-week Chambliss-Martin runoff was marked with high-profile visits to the state and a barrage of televised attack ads.

“He’s a good guy and he ran a tough, tough campaign,” Chambliss said.