The July primary culled the field of potential Democratic Senate candidates from five to two: Jim Martin and Vernon Jones.

Martin is clearly the better choice.

As a Vietnam veteran with a long and admirable career in public service and the law, Martin has the background and credentials to represent Georgia well. As a state legislator, Martin was known as a workhorse, someone who knew the issues and who could work with colleagues to get things done. That same combination of wisdom, hard work and collegiality served Martin well as head of the state Department of Human Services under Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes and then Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Jones, a two-term DeKalb County CEO, is an intelligent man and has been a competent county administrator. Unfortunately, his temperament, judgment and behavior make him a bad fit for higher office. His style is confrontational, and he has shown very little ability or willingness to respect conflicting views. Put simply, Jones would not be good for the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. Senate would not be good for him.

Furthermore, if Georgia Democrats nominate Jones for the Senate, a candidate who bragged publicly about voting twice for George W. Bush, they undermine their own party's broader critique of the Republican record in office. In Republican Saxby Chambliss, Georgia already has a senator strongly supportive of the president's record. If voters are to have a meaningful choice in the fall, Martin must be on the ballot.

—- Jay Bookman, for the editorial board (jbookman@ajc.com)