Home > Political Insider > Archives > 2007 > February > 13 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USA funeral, then an election
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We had lunch with Jane Kidd, the new chairman of the state Democratic party today, none of us knowing that U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood of Augusta had just died hours before.
Because of the sensitive nature of the situation, Kidd didn’t have much to say about potential candidates for the 10th District seat, except that Democrats would try to line up behind a single figure. This will be a bipartisan race, to be held in the next 40 days.
One of her new staffers, Martin Matheny, pointed out that — in several counties in the very northern part of the state, women give President Bush his worse ratings.
Comments
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By cnote
February 13, 2007 3:46 PM | Link to this
First of all Norwood didn’t oppose the VRA and secondly I wouldn’t call his opposition to the southern provision a blemish.
I’d like for one person, that supports the Southern states having to get pre-clearance from DOJ while the rest of the country does not, to give an intellectual reason in support of the pre-clearance. I’m talking current statistical reasons that illustrate why the provision needs to exist soley in the Southeast, not for reasons that occured before I was born. If you can point to more voting irregularities in Georgia versus Ohio or Alabama versus New York then you would be the first.
By constguy
February 13, 2007 5:53 PM | Link to this
Actually, it’s not a “forty-day” election, necessarily. The governor has ten days to issue the writ, and the writ must specify a date “not less” than 30 days after its issuance. So it could be as little as 31, and as long as, well, “reasonable” under an opinion issued by our late AG, Mr. Bolton. Qualifying occurs for two and one-half days, not later than 25 days prior to the election day. What makes this one so interesting is that under the state constitution, there is a “rolling” disqualification to hold public office for anyone who qualifies, since the late Congressman’s term overlaps all current officeholders. So if a Senator qualifies, they instantly lose their seat, and if a Rep qualifies to run for that seat, then he or she instantly loses office. The impact can be mitigated by calling the election for after the General Assembly, but it’s still gonna be fun to watch, especially if the governor mis-guesses the end of the General Assembly … or it occurs to someone who has the power to do so that the ante could be upped by not dropping the gavel.