An elections bonanza is on tap for Georgia voters in November, as every seat in the state General Assembly, a U.S. Senate seat and all 13 U.S. House seats will be up for grabs.

With the General Assembly facing a state budget crunch and presidential politics looming throughout the year, gay political leaders and analysts said it is difficult to know what role gay issues might play in the elections.

"It’s not clear yet what will be the dominant theme of the 2004 election cycle," said Allen Thornell, executive director of Georgia Equality, a statewide non-partisan gay rights group. "It may be a referendum on George Bush, or it could be something related to the budget."

The debate over same-sex marriage could become a campaign issue if the General Assembly steps into the fray when the legislative session opens Jan. 12.

"It is an issue people are so polarized by, it will be an issue in the election and both sides will use it to court votes," said state Rep. Karla Drenner, Georgia’s only openly gay state legislator. "I think whether Democrat or Republican, if someone takes a stance, the challengers will use their cause against them."

With the entire General Assembly and U.S. House of Representatives at stake, Drenner said it is vital for gay men and lesbians to make their voices count.

"I think we as a community have got to do things like the conservatives do," Drenner said. "We have to fund-raise, organize, knock on doors and get out the vote.

"Everything’s up for grabs and we need to redouble our efforts," she said. "If we don’t get people out, we could wake up one morning and a ‘Special DOMA’ could wipe out every right we’ve gained for ourselves over the last 10 years."

Federal races
Because of the way voting districts are divided, the campaigns of several U.S. House seats are forgone conclusions, said Larry Pellegrini, a veteran gay lobbyist in Georgia.

"Georgia has 13 Congressional districts and only a couple are in play," Pellegrini said. "So it makes a lot of incumbents safe."

U.S. Reps. John Lewis and Denise Majette, both gay-friendly Atlanta Democrats, are among those favored to coast to re-election, according to Pellegrini.

With six U.S. House members from Georgia — Republican Reps. Max Burns, Mac Collins, Phil Gingrey, Johnny Isakson, Jack Kingston and Charlie Norwood — signed on as co-sponsors to the Federal Marriage Amendment, it could become an issue in district races, Thornell said.

The Federal Marriage Amendment, currently pending in Congress, would define marriage as solely the union between one man and one woman, "As a community, I don’t think we’re going to give elected officials a pass on this issue," Thornell said. "I don’t think the gay community will be forgiving of candidates who are opposed to marriage."

Georgia Equality is not directly targeting co-sponsors of the constitutional amendment, but is working with the Human Rights Campaign to help identify gay allies living within the districts of co-sponsors, Thornell said.

The gay Georgia Log Cabin Republicans is continuing its lobbying efforts to deter people from supporting the amendment, said Marc Yeager, the group’s president.

"Our hope is that they would truly see what the conservative position on this issue should be," said Yeager, who noted that conservatives traditionally support less government regulation into personal matters.

Isakson and Collins are in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.). Other GOP candidates include Hermann Cain and Al Bartell, two African-American businessmen who have not spoken publicly on gay issues.

HRC gave Isakson a 17 and Collins a zero out of a possible 100 for their stances on gay-related legislation in its most recent Congressional scorecard.

The only declared Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat is state Sen. Mary Squires (D-Norcross), who said she supports civil unions and gay adoption.

But Squires does not support gay marriage as the term "borders the religious line too closely," she told Southern Voice in September.

In both recognition and fund-raising, the Republicans seem to be outdistancing Squires, something that might translate badly for gay voters, activists said.

"There is hardly a good candidate for gay people in that Republican campaign so far," Pelligrini said. "We frequently are faced with having to take the better choice, not the perfect choice."

Even Democrats are unsure Squires stands a chance in the general election.

"If she should win that race, it would be good for the gay community," said Bob Whitelaw, chair of the gay Georgia Stonewall Democrats. "The problem is the Republicans are putting a lot of ...

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