On Dec. 2, Georgia voters will be asked to cast a ballot for the fifth, and likely final, time in 2008, in order to settle a hotly contested U.S. Senate seat, a state Public Safety Commission spot and a Court of Appeals judgeship. Other county races also appear on some local ballots.
When votes from the Nov. 4 general election were certified the week of Nov. 10, Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss captured 1,867,090, votes, or 49.8 percent of the total vote, short of the 50 percent plus one Georgia requires for victory. Former Democratic state lawmaker Jim Martin garnered 1,757,419 votes, for 46.8 percent, and Libertarian Allen Buckley took 128,002 votes, or 3.4 percent.
While Chambliss is considered by political pundits to be the favorite due to his incumbent status and having received 100,000 more votes in the general election, the runoff could be close.
“I’ll tell you this, it’s not going to be a blowout either way,” Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff Graham said. “Whoever wins this, it’s going to be close.”
Georgia Equality does not endorse in federal elections, but Martin has received support from two national gay political groups — the Human Rights Campaign and the Stonewall Democrats.
The perceived closeness of the race has energized the bases of both parties.
“There has been a lot of energy and enthusiasm at our rallies,” said Ben Fry, the executive director of the Georgia Republican Party.
Chambliss has been campaigning with the likes of former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain. Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is also expected to visit Atlanta to stump for Chambliss.
Martin, too, has pulled in the star power for his recent rallies. He has appeared with former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore. President-Elect Barack Obama has also made recorded calls on behalf of Martin.
Democratic Party of Georgia Spokesperson Martin Matheny said voter fatigue hasn’t set in on their side.
“Wherever I’ve talked to people, and I’ve been out with Jim, people are excited to vote for Martin, and so I don’t think there will be a case of people not showing up,” Matheny said. “The people I’ve talked with have seen it like finishing the job.”
The Georgia race has garnered national attention because it might be the race that decides if the Democrats hold a 60-seat majority in the Senate. Those 60 seats would prevent Republicans from filibustering key legislation and appointments. For gay voters it could make a difference on a number of issues where Martin and Chambliss differ drastically.
SEEKING THE 60TH SEAT
Chambliss has vowed to obstruct Obama on what he called a “liberal agenda,” and said his voice would be heard on issues like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and amending the federal hate crimes law to include protections for gay and transgender individuals.
Martin has a long record of fighting for HIV and gay issues from his years in the Georgia General Assembly. He supports ENDA, overturning “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and expanding hate crimes laws, among other issues.
However, Chambliss has been reluctant to directly address gay issues in public, and has largely avoided mentioning Martin’s support for gay issues during his 18 years as a state house Representative from Midtown.
“Actually I’m a little surprised there hasn’t been more attention drawn on that part of Jim’s record,” Graham said.
Although Chambliss has stayed away from making gays rights a campaign issue, it hasn’t kept his supporters from weighing in on the issue. The American Family Association ran a radio ad saying that Chambliss is “good on families,” while Martin “supports special rights for gays.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee mailed a flier which noted Martin’s opposition to amending the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage.
While the Public Service Commission doesn’t deal with gay-specific issues, Matheny said voters still have a stake in the outcome of Democrat Jim Powell’s run against Republican Lauren McDonald.
“There are three bills that just about every house in Georgia pays,” Matheny said. “That’s a gas bill, an electric bill and a phone bill, and right now you’ve got four folks looking out for the power companies. If you’ve got four folks looking out for the power companies, don’t you think there should be one person out there looking out for you?”
COURT OF APPEALS, PSC RACES
While Powell is campaigning as the voice of consumers, McDonald’s website shows that he considers himself to be a conservative manager who resists efforts to tax energy companies more and supports building new nuclear power plants in Georgia.
Although the race for the state Court of Appeals is non-partisan, ...
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