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Saturday, July 15, 2006
This year, country’s cool
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former U.S. Rep. Mac Collins said something a few weeks ago that comes back to mind this last weekend trying to think of every unmentioned thing that might affect Tuesday results.
With the lieutenant governor’s race headed for a photo finish, Collins wondered whether turnout in rural counties might be affected by the Republican agriculture commissioner’s race. You can be sure this is the first time anybody’s ever conjectured about that. Tommy Irvin is the longest-serving Democrat in the state, holding the ag commissioner’s post since 1969.
But this year’s primary, in which Dee Strickland, the party’s candidate four years ago, has been joined by former Georgia Agribusiness Council President Gary Black, Cumming businessman Bob Greer and former state Sen. Brian Kemp, has been a very active affair.
Not just in the country, either. Black and Kemp have done a lot of politicking at Republican events around suburban Atlanta. Randy Lewis, who edits the Georgia Political Digest.com site, was shocked recently when responses to an online poll on the ag commissioner’s race soared past the website’s previous high.
Does an uptick in rural turnout help Cagle or Reed – or is it a wash? More on those unmentioned factors to come.
