Georgia

You are here: Archives / Georgia

4:11 PM, May 24, 2013 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Georgia Democrats may finally have a candidate for next year's Senate race to succeed Republican Saxby Chambliss. Michelle Nunn, an Atlanta businesswoman and the daughter of former senator Sam Nunn, is "actively preparing" for a Senate campaign, the Hill reports:

“I don't think she'll make an announcement until the beginning of the summer, mid-June or early July. There's no urgency and she has to resolve some things with the charity [Nunn is in charge of]. But she is running,” said one source close to Nunn, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about private discussions.

Another senior Georgia Democrat said the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has called a few key Democrats in the state in recent days to tell them Nunn, the daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), was definitely running for the seat.

While plans could stil lchange, both sources say Nunn intends to wait until after a major early June event being hosted by her charitable organization, Points of Light, to make any announcement.

A recent poll by Better Georgia, a progressive group, found that Nunn would perform competitively against the three Republican congressmen in the race (Paul Broun, Jack Kingston, and Phil Gingrey). The poll also showed Nunn eight points ahead of the latest Republican to join the race, Karen Handel (though the poll was conducted before Handel entered the race).

A Nunn run could be a boon for Democrats looking to be competitive statewide in Georgia, which is still a solidly conservative state but may be moderating as the population becomes more diverse. (In 2012, for instance, Mitt Romney's second smallest margin of victory was in Georgia, just seven points.) As a white Democrat with Atlanta business connections and a popular last name, Nunn might be able to position herself as a moderate in the mold of her father. And as one Republican observer from Georgia puts it, the Atlanta media will be "rooting for her."

That being said, ever since 2002, when Chambliss defeated Max Cleland for the Senate and Sonny Perdue won the governor's race, Democrats haven't been able to win a major statewide race in Georgia. The closest the party came to doing so was in 2008, when higher turnout among Georgia's significant black population that year gave Democrats a boost. Chambliss ran just three points ahead of his Democratic challenger and was forced into a runoff, which he won handily.

2:28 PM, May 17, 2013 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Karen Handel, the former secretary of state of Georgia, is running for the Republican nomination for Senate next year. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

She made the announcement hours before the first day of a two-day state Republican convention. She becomes the fourth formal GOP candidate for the spot, with U.S. Reps. Paul Broun, Phil Gingrey and Jack Kingston.

1:54 PM, May 10, 2013 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Tom Price, a Republican congressman from Georgia, will not run for the U.S. Senate next year. Price told the Marietta Daily Journal that his "assessment at this point is the House is the battleground for politics in this country right now" and he will seek sixth term for his metro Atlanta House seat.

5:45 PM, May 1, 2013 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Karen Handel, the former secretary of state of Georgia and a potential Republican Senate candidate, sent this email to her supporters:

4:05 PM, Mar 30, 2013 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Congressman Tom Price, a Republican, has said he will not announce a decision about running next year for the Senate in Georgia until May, but a pair of fundraising emails obtained by THE WEEKLY STANDARD indicate the GOP congressman may be leaning toward getting in the race. Here's an excerpt from Price's first email to donors, sent Thursday:

Dear Friends:

The first quarter FEC reporting deadline is fast approaching on March 31st! We are off to a strong start with fundraising this year, and we are extremely close to reaching our first quarter goal.

12:36 PM, Mar 26, 2013 • By MICHAEL WARREN

House Phil Gingrey of Georgia plans to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday. The six-term Republican and obstetrician will make the announcement at his alma mater of Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Here's more from Georgia Tipsheet:

1:08 PM, Mar 21, 2013 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Republican Karen Handel, the former Georgia secretary of state, gubernatorial candidate, and vice president for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, is moving closer to running for the Senate next year to succeed Republican Saxby Chambliss. Georgia political blog Peach Pundit reports:

Previewing the coming GOP primary fight to succeed Saxby Chambliss.

6:00 AM, Feb 18, 2013 • By MICHAEL WARREN

“I have some discomfort with all Republican primaries because they’re all family squabbles,” said Tom Price, the 58-year-old Republican House member from north of Atlanta. “My brother and I used to fight almost daily,” Price, the middle child among five brothers and sisters, said. “My mom’s only prayer was, ‘Don’t hurt each other.’”

5:14 PM, Feb 6, 2013 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Georgia congressman Paul Broun announced Wednesday he is running in 2014 for the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Saxby Chambliss. Broun, a Republican House member since 2007, is the first major candidate to officially enter the race. Here is an excerpt from his announcement in Atlanta:

I went to Congress to stand against out-of-control spending in Washington DC. Though it has often been a lonely fight, it is a necessary one.

11:06 AM, Jan 30, 2013 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Paul Broun, the Republican congressman from Georgia, may be getting closer to announcing a 2014 run for Senate to succeed retiring Republican Saxby Chambliss.

10:28 AM, Jan 25, 2013 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Two-term Republican senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia will reportedly retire at the end of 2014. Jim Galloway at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the details:

"You can't get a yes or no."

3:59 PM, Dec 4, 2012 • By MICHAEL WARREN

House Republican Tom Price of Georgia refused to say whether he would challenge Senator Saxby Chambliss in the 2014 GOP primary. In a Tuesday afternoon appearance on CNN, Price was asked by host Brooke Baldwin if he would "mount a primary challenge" against Chambliss. He at first dodged the question.

"What we're trying to do right now is to solve the remarkable challenges that we have. Any discussion about 2014 is extremely premature," Price said.

12:21 PM, Nov 30, 2012 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Georgia-based blogger and radio host Erick Erickson will not be running for the U.S. Senate, Erickson writes at RedState.com:

In politics, self-awareness matters. It does. When I was a political consultant, I told my clients my first two rules. The first was to know when you were in the minority, even when you thought you were right. The second was to know yourself as others see you.

10:31 AM, Nov 28, 2012 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Erick Erickson, a conservative blogger, radio talk show host, and CNN contributor, may be considering a run for Senate in Georgia. On his radio show Tuesday, Erickson stated there are "a lot of people pledging a lot of money" for a primary challenge against incumbent Republican senator Saxby Chambliss.

9:20 AM, Nov 21, 2012 • By MICHAEL WARREN

Saxby Chambliss, the two-term senior senator from Georgia, could face a Republican primary challenge in 2014.

‹‹ More Recent

Earlier ››