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DEL.ICIO.USPreview of 2010 gubernatorial race?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Aaron Gould Sheinin asheinin@ajc.com
Minneapolis — The line-up of speakers at this morning’s Georgia delegation breakfast could have been a preview of the upcoming 2010 gubernatorial race.
One announced candidate, one expected candidate and several other possible challengers all addressed a crowd of more than 100 Georgia Republican delegates and activists.
Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine is the only announced GOP candidate for governor, but Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is expected to run. Secretary of State Karen Handel is a potential challenger, House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) is considered a long-shot to run and U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson earlier said he was not going to be a candidate for governor.
But all spoke at breakfast this morning.
A common theme among most was how terrific vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin did in her speech to the convention last night.
But there were elements of potential stump speeches as well.
Cagle, in particular, seemed to have prepared his gubernatorial talking points down pat.
“Raising taxes is not an option but making government more efficient is,” he said to big applause.
He vowed to work, as leader of the Senate for now, to address Georgia’s issues, including education and transportation.
Oxendine’s remarks were shorter, and focused more on the race for president (as well as a pitch for Atlanta to make a bid for the 2012 Republican convention, which, if he’s elected governor, would make him the convention host). But Oxendine also sponsored a reception on Wednesday for state party chairwoman Sue Everhart.
Handel, who fired up the crowd with energetic praise for Palin and McCain, said that as Secretary of State she’ll be on the watch for voter fraud in November. But Handel also said her office’s research shows that rumors of a huge surge in voter registration for Democrat Barack Obama is wishful thinking for Democrats.
“It’s a myth y’all,” she said. “It’s a flat out myth.”
Handel said voter registration increases from 2000 to 2004 and from 2004 to 2008 are not vastly different, which could indicate an absence of a renewed surge.
(U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), incidentally, told the same crowd on Tuesday that since he was first elected in 2002, there are 1 million new voters in the state.)
Isakson, too, focused mostly on the race for president and said that Palin has had a remarkable effect on McCain.
“The John McCain before last Friday (when Palin was announced as his VP choice) and the after last Friday is remarkable,” Isakson said. “He’s 10 years younger.”
Richardson had, perhaps, the most personally compelling comments. Focused almost entirely on Georgia issues, Richardson also said the past few years have been difficult for him personally, something he said he shares with Palin, who has seen details of her family’s life play out in the media.
“I awoke one day and I realized I had learned a lot in four years of being speaker,” Richardson said. “Unfortunately. there’s no book on how to be speaker. I watched Sarah Palin. I have a special place for her, I just wish I could spend five minutes with her and tell her I understand what she’s going through. The arrows come.”
Richardson has gone through a high-profile divorce and had very public disputes with Gov. Sonny Perdue and Cagle.
Richardson said Thursday that he won’t change who he is: “I will not play along just to get along.”
But he said he will work to remember something his mother said, and to live it, too.
“I am going to do my best, to follow this one phrase that my mother told me years ago, ‘Glenn, just because you think it doesn’t mean you have to say it.”
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Aaron Gould Sheinin, Republican National Convention
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By ATL
September 4, 2008 2:25 PM | Link to this
Hopefully Cagle or Oxendine will win. They’re the only ones who might have the best interests of local governments or the City of Atlanta in mind.
By Keep Hope Alive
September 4, 2008 3:08 PM | Link to this
RAND KNIGHT 2010! Yay!
By Mike D
September 4, 2008 3:18 PM | Link to this
I dont care who win as long as my govment check keep comin to me down hera in clayton cownty. Obama gona brink mo of our peopels fom africa so in de next 4 years we gona hav it alll.
By Vampire Hunter Mike D
September 4, 2008 3:25 PM | Link to this
Mike is, of course, the local Haliburton and Enron representative of Clayton County.
And by Obama he means McCant.
By KA
September 4, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this
How Richardson could even think of running is a joke. Oxendine has done pretty well with the Insurance Dept., but how many cars will he run through as Governor?
By SE-779
September 4, 2008 9:21 PM | Link to this
GO OXENDINE!
By Apostrophe Jones
September 5, 2008 5:45 AM | Link to this
These guys can not be serious. In Georgia,you need a regular name,like Sonny,or Saxby or Zell.
By GaSouthAlum
September 5, 2008 6:23 PM | Link to this
“I watched Sarah Palin. I have a special place for her, I just wish I could spend five minutes with her” I bet you do, Glenn, but she isn’t a gas company lobbyist
By Robert E. Lee
September 6, 2008 2:18 PM | Link to this
Don’t you worry a bit Glenn Richardson. Me and my friends will vote for you. Go Johnny Reb!
By hajj
September 8, 2008 8:03 AM | Link to this
You republicans suck—Palin is a porn star—and McCain is an old smelly fart who’s dumb a* crashed the plane in Viet Nam and got captured. If he was such a big hero he would have gotten away!! Four more years of Bushit!!