The worst-kept secret in Georgia politics got out last Friday, when Karen Handel declared herself a candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Three years ago, Handel came as close to becoming governor as the Georgia Bulldogs last year got to being crowned college football’s national champions. She lost the 2010 GOP primary runoff — in today’s Georgia, that’s like the SEC title game: tantamount to winning it all — to Nathan Deal by 2,519 votes out of more than half a million cast.
It was the rough political equivalent of being tackled 5 yards short of the end zone as the clock hits zero.
And, like those so-close Dogs, the former secretary of state has been widely seen as eager to get back on the field. When Tom Price was believed a sure Senate candidate, she was deemed certain to run for his congressional seat. When Price said May 10 he was staying in the House, the smart money shifted to a Handel Senate candidacy.
A week later, she was in. Later that day, she sat down with me in Athens, where the Georgia GOP was holding its state convention, to discuss why she’s running and what she learned from that runoff loss.
“First of all, it definitely underscored for me that every vote counts, when you lose by less than one vote per precinct,” she said.
Beyond that, Handel said the experience made her “a better person” with “much more firm” beliefs.
“To go through the fire of something like that, you have to find a very direct place of conviction on a whole host of issues,” she said. “And that was very much the case going through the governor’s race. Because it was really, really tough.
“And that is going to be a significant advantage for me in another statewide race, because no other candidate has gone through the scrutiny and the fire that I went through.”
That said, Handel doesn’t think her own political fortitude is the only salutary effect of her primary loss.
“It’s no secret, and I say this with great pride, that ethics reform was a big part of the gubernatorial race,” she continued, “and I’m very proud that the Legislature [this year] passed ethics reform and the governor signed it. I think they deserve tremendous credit for that and it’s a huge step forward.
“I don’t know if that would have happened had the ethics issue not been a key issue in the governor’s race. So I think one person can make a difference, in standing firm, win or lose, around issues that are important. And what I see is that if we don’t change what we’re doing in Washington, and the kinds of people who are there in Washington, we’re never going to break this kick-the-can-down-the-road cycle.”
Running against Washington is nothing new in politics, and the fact Handel’s three (so far) Republican opponents are members of Congress means you can get used to hearing her say Georgians are “looking for less ‘Washington’ in Washington.”
And this: “We have three members of Congress running, and that’s going to be an important decision for Georgians. Do they want more of the same in the United States Senate?”
Still, Handel will hardly be the only person in the race to say Georgians “want a fighter, someone who is going to stand up for principles.” Doesn’t that sound an awful lot like — oh, I don’t know — Congressman Paul Broun?
“Maybe,” she conceded — for maybe three milliseconds. “But you also still have to be electable and be a candidate that can bring [people] together across the spectrum of the GOP, and that’s something that I’ve done throughout my whole political career.”
Regarding zingers, Handel is in mid-season form. But can she keep that up for the next 14 months?
“I think I’ve proven that I’m a marathoner,” she said, alluding to her appearing on statewide ballots five times from 2006 to 2010. “You know, it’s been interesting. Since the … governor’s runoff, there has been an even more positive residual that has developed over the past couple of years: People who were not necessarily part of our team for the governor’s race now would very much be. …
“I just know and feel it as I’m out there talking to people and going around the state.”
