Phil Gingrey enters 2014 race for U.S. Senate

But it was Broun that Gingrey politely focused on as he made his entrance. Augusta may be Gingrey’s birthplace, but it is also Paul Broun’s east Georgia power center. And then there was this line from Gingrey, clearly aimed at a rival who advertises himself as an uncompromising, go-it-alone type of fellow:

“It’s time for Georgians to again send a tested, trusted conservative to the U.S. Senate who will work with Johnny Isakson, and with a sense of urgency,” Gingrey told a crowd of TV cameras and reporters in a Tech parking lot.

If you do not follow politics, possibly the only thing you know of Gingrey is that recent town hall meeting in Cobb County, when he mused about limits on gun clips and theorized about the chances of a raped woman getting pregnant – thus angering women and Second Amendment enthusiasts.

Gingrey recanted, and on Wednesday, he faced no flak from either group in Atlanta – except for a pair of spectators who briefly unrolled a poster that read, “Gingrey: Hands Off Our Guns.”

The other thing you might not know about Gingrey, an 11-year congressman who delivered 5,200 babies in Cobb County over three decades, is that he is likely to be the oldest candidate in the contest. At 70, he is 16 months older than the exiting Chambliss.

I asked Gingrey whether he thought his age was a disadvantage. He has not yet found that old line that Ronald Reagan used against Walter Mondale: “I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”

Instead, Gingrey took reporters on a three-sentence tour of his life from Tech to med school to the Marietta school board, the state Senate, then Congress. “I pledge to give all there is of myself,” he said.

Gingrey is under no illusion that he will be the only anti-Broun candidate – or that the race will end with the 2014 summer Republican primary and a likely runoff.

Even as Gingrey met with reporters, U.S. Rep. John Barrow, the Democrat from Augusta, was huddling with supporters in the downtown offices of an Atlanta law firm, discussing whether he should enter the race. The conversations continue today.

On the Republican side, former secretary of state Karen Handel, who may or may not wait for a mid-May decision from Price, has a state Capitol appointment today to speak to the conservative Capitol Coalition.

This week, U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah, reserved the services of Patrick Millsaps of Camilla, an attorney who served as chief of staff to Newt Gingrich during his 2012 presidential run.

And there is well-founded talk that political novice David Perdue, cousin to Gov. Sonny Perdue and former chairman and CEO of Dollar General, is considering the race.

And then there is that turmoil that the Marietta congressman now leaves in his wake. Standing in the back of Gingrey’s audience at Tech was Republican strategist Jeff Breedlove.

Breedlove was like the beneficiary at a millionaire’s funeral, who shocked the crowd by jabbing the corpse with his forefinger. Just to make sure his benefactor was truly dead.

Breedlove was at Tech to make sure that Gingrey in no way blinked. He is working for former congressman and Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr, who will announce this morning that he’s seeking Gingrey’s 11th District seat.

Others considering the 11th District GOP contest include state House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey, an Atlanta attorney; Tricia Pridemore, the Marietta businesswoman whom Gov. Nathan Deal championed two years ago for state GOP chairman; state Sens. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville; and Judson Hill, R-Marietta. All are likely to decide by April 20, when the Georgia GOP holds its congressional district conventions.

So get your scorecard ready. The season is upon us.