Here we go.
Saxby Chambliss will not be running for reelection in 2014:
Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss said Friday he will not seek a third term next year, expressing deep frustration with Washington gridlock that he doesn’t see changing in a divided government.
Chambliss, 69, rejected suggestions he couldn’t have survived a likely GOP primary fight with the tea party, insisting he has a proud conservative record and noting he received more votes than any other statewide official in Georgia history in 2008.
Instead, he cited his frustration with both Democratic President Barack Obama and the lack of meaningful legislation in Congress.
This seems like a really good chance to move the seat to the right in a safe (right? right?) state.
But I know nothing about the likely contenders in the Republican primary, and the likely Democratic opponent.
So inform me, oh knowledgeable ones.
And yes, we do have an Operation Counterweight 2014 tag already.
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Comments
I lived in GA from 1995-2007 and would observe that in 1996 Dole got 50.1 % of the vote. I would say that is an acid test. If a candidate as lame as Bob Dole could pull 50.1% against Bill Clinton, there is a fairly thick margin of advantage there for Conservative Republicans. I do not know who is on deck. Ralph Reed sill lives in GA, I think. Newt probably does not find it interesting enough, may be too old, and may not have a residence there anymore. Alan West could move (back) there and do some real damage. Dunno.
Hey Taxby Chamblis, don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out!
Neal Boortz
I wish. But unfortunately it’s unlikely. Boortz literally JUST retired. He’s going to want to spend some time as a retiree and with his family.
He’ll just have to suck it up. One thing is probably certain, if he somehow gets the gig he’ll probably do one and done.
People really should start asking him. He can always say no, but people should ask.
I see some on twitter recommending Tom Price http://www.tomprice.com
Tom Price is best positioned to get the nomination and the seat. He has a pretty strong war chest and his credentials as Chair of the Republican Study Committee make him a very solid Conservative.
BTW, I don’t care what Chambliss says, there were pretty strong rumors around here Price was going to primary Chambliss. Chambliss was in a bit of trouble over some wishy-washy positions which ticked off quite a few conservatives. He would have certainly won the general election but a primary challenge would be at best a 50-50 proposition.
Price could be a winning candidate. But he too has a target on his back from a progressive’s viewpoint, for some statement he made as a religious gathering that they could easily turn into a Akin/Mourdock kind of controversy. I don’t remember the details, but it certainly is a risk he has to overcome just as Handel would have to overcome her Planned Parenthood position. It’s all a matter of planning ahead and working to neutralize it. But if you don’t neutralize it quickly, your campaign’s tone gets set by the media and your opponent(s).
Ooops. Scratch that. Just texted a sibling living in Savannah, and she clarifies that Paul Broun made the Akin-like statement. He, by the way, is also a possible candidate as he had already made it known he was considering a move before Chambliss announced.
Chambliss knew he was going to have to face a motivated TEA Party base as well as an anti-tax revolt from his very public abandonment of the Norquist tax pledge.
I had a feeling he would abandon any re-election attempt given the public statements that he WOULD draw a primary challenge. I just didn’t think it would be quite this soon. This however may be an attempt to head off criticism if he starts voting to allow things that otherwise his voters would revolt against.
I suppose we’ll see soon enough.
It’s my understanding the local Tea Party has for some time been open about it’s goal to challenge Chambliss. Open = in print and in interviews, they have set that as one goal for the state, to replace Chambliss with a Tea Party chosen candidate. No mystery. Given the other statements at his announcement and what has been said in other interviews, he doesn’t want to fight only to go back to a situation he doesn’t like.
Shouldn’t two terms be enough for a Senator anyway? 12 years is a long time to be in DC in my opinion.
I wish Allen West would move to Atlanta, his original home state, and run for the Senate. If Clinton could move to New York, where she didn’t have a single connection, and run for Senator there after never even having held political office…
The guy Georgia needs to elect to the Senate is US Rep. Steve Scalise (R), also current Republican Study Committee chairman. Top drawer conservative.
Isn’t Scalise from Louisiana?
Um, er, well, yes, now that I checked it, but he’d do good! Georgia should annex Louisiana.
(The Dems are deciding not to run faster than I can keep up with).
Some of my family and friends in Georgia are saying there is a lot of talk about Karen Handel, the former Secretary of State who lost the GOP primary to the current governor. She has flaws, but has a lot of things going for her that will help offset a lot of the progressive nonsense about Republican women (so I’m told). The disadvantage (advantage?) is that she would be a huge target for smears as she has long advocated the defunding of Planned Parenthood, for starters.
Handel could easily turn her position on Planned Parenthood to her advantage in Georgia. She would only need to point out that the group was originally founded as a way to rid the world of black babies.
The risk is Handel jumping in would likely make the race a national one, similar to Warren/Brown. And the media will gleefully make front page headlines of that matter for as long as they can figure out a way to do it without being too repetitive. She would just have to be ready to defend and neutralize, that’s all. The progressives hated other women as much for their pro-life position as anything else. They’ve proven that they will try to eviscerate any women who isn’t fully supportive of the “War on Women” jibberish.
A couple of points here:
1) Handel lost the runoff to our current governor in large part because she was not endorsed by Georgia Right to Life. She is pro-life but she is perceived as being less than strong in that issue.
2) As to Planned Parenthood, her battles with them came over denying them grant money from Komen. It had nothing to do with defunding them from tax payer money. Planned Parenthood is a racket. They do not perform mammograms but refer those procedures out. The grant money was for performance of the procedure. Planned Parenthood’s thuggish attacks on Karen were despicable. They will destroy anyone who seeks to deny them money.
3) As a supporter for her run for Governor in 2010, I would have no problem with her as Senator. However, I prefer Tom Price, if he runs.
4) Sarah Palin also endorsed her candidacy in 2010. Perhaps she could run against Isakson in 2016. Isakson is another guy who is wishy-washy on certain issues near and dear to conservatives.
Thanks for the clarity on Handel.
Isakson strikes me as a relic of the good-ol’-boy network. Making deals in an effort to “go-along to get-along”.
By the way, I was also told the Dems immediately issued a press release saying this is a seat they feel they can pick up. Surely that is simply a routine reaction. However, local chatter also suggests that they may pressure a state Rep., Scott Holcomb, because he could attract a number of non-Dems. For example, he had a relatively long military career, including stints in Iraq.
The democrats in GA are a foolhardy bunch. They have not performed well in the last few election cycles and last I checked the GOP has a supermajority in the State House and Senate.
A conservative democrat could win but GA will not send one to DC to be co-opted by Harry Reid and Obama.
Hmmm…. Is Newt still a Georgia resident?
But + a gazillion for LTC West.
I am a native of, and still live in, Tom Price’s district and have met him. [Of course, it was Wyche Fowler and other Democrats back when I was a tricycle motor].
Tom Price is the one who picked up the most mentions yesterday. As one of the few medical doctors in Congress, it would be interesting to see if he pulls some early fundraising from doctors and dentists here and nationwide. [I don’t know why Georgia sends many more medical professionals to Congress than most other states. Maybe it has to do with Crawford Long being from Georgia. Not sure he ever held public office, but he did invest anaesthesia, in some prescience about the pain endured by Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Braves, and Atlanta NHL fans.].
Back to early fundraising. If you look at the statistical abstract of the United States, Tom Price’s district is one of the very wealthiest in the entire United States. So, picking up early fundraising from his own constituents might also be a barometer. [Not to brag, but we also are one of the highest educated, earning, and median home value districts in the United States – although one does have to admit that house prices can vary so much even within one state].
I think Tom will run. I will give him money.
The next question will be: Who will replace Tom as our representative? But, we got some folks laying around. The bench is pretty deep.
Last I checked, there were not any CPAs in Congress. And, I doubt there have ever been many engineers. I wonder if a Congress dominated by CPAs and Engineers might do a better job of running this country. But, I rattle on……..
I’m pretty sure Price was already allowing in public that he was considering a Senate run. Not sure if his ‘people’ have made official statements, but he’s somehow on the record. So, it would be my guess he will run.
Herman Cain?
Georgia is turning blue quickly enough that Democrats are making it one of their priorities now. Obama got 45% of the vote in 2012.
I think they’ll seriously compete for this seat and I think they’ll have a fairly good chance of winning it. If I had to guess I’d say their candidate will be Kasim Reed, but it’s early.
The biggest thing going for the Republicans with this seat is the fact that it’s an off-year election but I believe the Dems are working hard at overcoming that.
Here’s something: I was just told by a sibling that a GA Dem party worker (low level) is talking about Jimmah Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, for the Chambliss position. Supposedly he has made an effort to play both sides of the aisle – or at least he promotes himself that way. A faux-moderate perhaps.
(For what it’s worth the person talking about it is a neighbor to my sibling who was just talking out loud.)
Neal Boortz
Newt Gingrich
Erick Erickson
Herman Cain
Allen West if he’ll come back to Georgia.
You forgot Justin Bieber.
I do try to forget Justin Bieber.