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DEL.ICIO.USGeorgia bucks nation; GOP consolidates gains
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Democratic celebration over newfound political muscle nationwide never made it to Georgia on Election Day.
Bucking a national trend, Georgia voters helped Republicans consolidate the gains the GOP first made four years ago. Voters not only re-elected Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue, they put into office the state’s first Republican lieutenant governor and secretary of state, and re-elected the GOP schools superintendent and insurance commissioner.
Republicans also maintained their majority in the state Legislature, and late Tuesday night were in tight races in two Georgia congressional districts they had heavily targeted. Republican Mac Collins was running neck-and-neck with Democratic incumbent 8th District Congressman Jim Marshall.
In the 12th District, Democratic incumbent John Barrow was locked in a tight race with Republican Max Burns.
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Marietta) said Georgians’ interest in the military, national security and the state’s healthy economy have insulated Georgia from the national unrest.
“When people’s pocketbooks are full and they feel secure, [incumbents do pretty well],” Isakson said. Peter DeMartin, 37, was one of those Georgians who helped propel Perdue to victory. DeMartin, who usually votes Democratic, said he thought Perdue had managed the gas crisis well and “didn’t go into panic mode.” Perdue closed school for two days to conserve fuel and temporarily suspended the state sales tax on gasoline.
“He’s done a good job reaching out to people,” said DeMartin, a corporate recruiter for Deloitte Touche.
It was not all bad news for Democrats. They held onto down-ballot statewide offices, including attorney general, commissioner of agriculture and labor commissioner. Still, some loyal Democrats already were beginning to talk about rebuilding a badly battered state party.
“Everybody has to go back to the drawing board and really regroup and impress upon people how important it is that everybody get out and vote,” said the Rev. A.C. Bolden , a lifelong Democrat and associate pastor of Mount Ephraim Baptist Church in Atlanta. “Because if you don’t vote you don’t have a voice.”
Said Democratic Attorney General Thurbert Baker: “We just have to retool and think about the good things and build on those successes.”
Political experts believe Georgia Republicans are on a roll that will be difficult for Democrats to counter. “They’ve expanded their support and are in a consolidation phase,” said Charles Bullock, a University of Georgia political scientist. “This may be one of the brighter spots for the GOP in the nation.”
While much of the attention this election cycle was focused on Democratic efforts to oust congressional Republicans, a fierce battle also took place at the statehouse level. Before Tuesday’s election, Republicans held the governorships and both chambers of the state legislatures in 12 states; Democrats, in eight.
The last time Democrats held complete power in more state capitals than Republicans was 1994.
Georgia continued along the GOP path it first charted with Perdue’s upset win in 2002. National dissatisfaction with Republican policies, like the war in Iraq, were not a deciding factor with a majority of the state’s 4.4 million voters.
“Georgia, as a state, is more conservative than the nation as a whole,” Bullock said. “And Georgia and the South have historically been more supportive of the military than other parts of the country. So voters here are less likely to turn against Iraq than other areas.”
A poll conducted for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution late last month by Washington-based Mason-Dixon polling firm found Georgians have mixed opinions on one-party control of state government.
About 34 percent said they wanted Republicans to control the state House and Senate, while about 23 percent wanted Democrats in charge. About 36 percent wanted split-party control and about 7 percent were not sure which side they wanted in charge.
Controlling the state Legislature and the governor’s office has implications far beyond the gold-domed Capitol in downtown Atlanta. It allows Republicans to fashion congressional districts that are more favorable to their party’s candidates.
Being at the helm of the state’s government machinery also has put Republicans in a better position to raise large sums of money for upcoming elections. And it has helped the GOP add depth to its “bench” — the candidates it has lined up to run for higher office.
“Benefits come with incumbency, whether it’s name recognitions or the political favors you have to offer,” Bullock said. “As Democrats remove those by retiring, the electorate has shifted enough toward the GOP that new Democrats do not compare favorably with the new and unknown Republicans.”
Staff writers Jeremy Redmon, Ernie Suggs and David Bennett contributed to this article.
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