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Friday, March 16, 2007
Jim Marshall and the ‘08 race: No rest for the weary. Perhaps.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re told that state Sen. Ross Tolleson of Perry recently flew up to Washington to speak with members of the NRCC about challenging U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall, the Democrat from Macon, in ‘08.
We called U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who has a hand in the Republican candidate selection process. A spokesman confirmed that Tolleson met with Westmoreland, and that an ‘08 race was the topic.
Several games of chicken may be at work here.
Marshall, who inhabits a 60 percent Republican district and won by a whisker in ‘06, is being lobbied by the Senate Democratic operation to challenge U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, a Republican.
The House Democratic operation would prefer for Marshall to stay — it’s likely that Democrats would lose the seat if Marshall leaves it to take on Chambliss.
It’s in Marshall’s interest to keep both Democratic entities guessing as long as possible. You get more money out of them that way. (Yes, we’re crass to suggest such a thing, but whattya gonna do?)
Tolleson took Sonny Perdue’s seat in the state Senate. He’s earned a good reputation in Atlanta, but does lack the military gravitas that has made Marshall so survivable in the 8th District. Nationally, Republicans are in disarray. And with his party in power in Congress, Marshall will not lack for funds.
So would Tolleson be in this thing to challenge Marshall — a move likely to draw a multi-million dollar response from national Democrats? Or would his aim be to encourage Marshall to jump into the Senate race, and have the pole position in the race for an open seat?
You tell us. We don’t know.
Balfour yanks the needle on mandatory cervical cancer vaccines
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In today’s editions, the Macon Telegraph reports that Senate Rules Chairman Don Balfour has declared his bill for mandatory HPV vaccines for sixth-grade bills to be dead for the session.
Balfour cited overwhelming opposition from member of his own republican party. He told the Telegraph there’s a possibility it could come back up next year.
“Maybe,” Balfour said.
Red-light camera bill gets the green light, and so does a Feb. 5 presidential primary
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
House Majority Leader Jerry Keen of St. Simons Island just finished a morning press conference, laying out the priorities for a two-day crush of legislation that hits next week.
First news item: California’s decision to move its presidential primary to Feb. 5 guarantees the movement of similar legislation in Georgia, he said. We’re headed to a national primary, people, and don’t nobody know where it’s going to lead.
Second news item: Among the small list of priorities Keen rattled off, at the top was a bill intended to remove the financial incentives that lawmakers say are causing cities and counties to erect red-light cameras across the state — as revenue-raising ventures rather than traffic safety tools.
The bill doesn’t have his name on it, but H.B. 77 is Speaker Glenn Richardson’s baby. Here’s the audio link to the speech he gave before a House committee on the topic.
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