Author: volvodrivingliberal

Atlanta attorney Jim Martin had much to celebrate last night at Piedmont Park’s Park Tavern as he, his family, and campaign team savored a landslide victory rout over DeKalb County Executive Vernon Jones.

Atlanta’s WSB-TV is reporting this morning that Martin garnered 190000+ votes to win 60/40 over Jones with 99% of precints reporting. WSB election results data can be found here.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitition:

.Turnout was light in the race for the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Only 18 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the primary, and fewer than half of those were expected to return to the polls Tuesday for 12 hours of voting that began at 7 a.m.

The entire AJC article can be found here.

NEXT STEPS

While many local and national pundits have viewed a Martin/Chambliss contest as a third tier race, recent polling data suggests otherwise Chambliss is vulnerable. Recent polling shows that fewer than 40% of Georgia voters are planning to vote to re-elect him this November.  Here is recent polling data from the Mellman Group here.

This is a winnable race. An exceptionally strong African American turnout in Georgia this fall in support of Barack Obama, aided by substantial liberal voting blocs in Fulton and DeKalb counties, Athens, and Savannah, can propel Martin to victory in November.

Whether you live in Georgia or elsewhere, your help is needed. Saxby Chambliss begins this race with a substantial $4 million+ campaign war chest. Although Jim Martin has proven to be an adept fundraiser in previous campaigns, he cannot overcome this current Chambliss financial advantage without your help.

DONT GET MAD…GET EVEN!

Saxby Chambliss’ despicable, vicious and dishonest attacks on war hero and former Senator Max Cleland in the 2002 election, plus his unyielding support of George W. Bush for the last six years underscore his lack of character and judgement. He’s in the same league as other Bushbots like Joe Lieberman, John Cornyn, and others. It’s time for us to GET EVEN and remove the stench of Saxby Chambliss from the US Senate.

Whether you live in Georgia or elsewhere, your help is needed. Saxby Chambliss begins this race with a substantial $4 million+ campaign warchest. Although Jim Martin has proven to be an adept fundraiser in previous campaigns, he cannot overcome this current Chambliss financial advantage without your help. Please consider a donation today to help Jim defeat Chambliss.

Donate to the Martin For Senate campaign here.

Be sure to put add a penny (.01) to your donation so it can be identified as netroots support.

VOLUNTEER

An exceptionally strong network of volunteers in the Atlanta area were critical to Jim Martin’s primary and runoff successes, but much more help will be needed to successfully defeat Chambliss. Whether you are a Georgia resident or reside in surrounding states like Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, or SC, please take time to volunteer and help us remove the Stench of Saxby from public office. You can volunteer to help Jim Martin defeat Saxby Chambliss here.

Cross posted at Daily Kos.

This is a reminder for all Georgia residents: don’t forget to vote for Jim Martin tomorrow in the Democratic Senate Primary runoff against Vernon Jones. Jones, a Democrat-in-name-only who proudly brags that he voted for George W. Bush in both 2000 and 2004, has neither the statewide name recognition, the ability to raise funds, nor the personal character to defeat Saxby Chambliss next fall.

Jim Martin is a person of tremendous intelligence, decency and integrity. He served for nearly two decades in the Georgia House of Representatives, including chairing the House Judiciary Committee; and ran a strong, though unsuccessful, campaign for Lieutenant Governor in 2006, where he garnered 75000 more votes than Dem Gubernatorial candidate Mark Taylor.

More on the flip…

Here’s what The Atlanta Journal Constitution had to say about the two candidates in their endorsement of Jim Martin:

Martin is clearly the better choice.

As a Vietnam veteran with a long and admirable career in public service and the law, Martin has the background and credentials to represent Georgia well. As a state legislator, Martin was known as a workhorse, someone who knew the issues and who could work with colleagues to get things done. That same combination of wisdom, hard work and collegiality served Martin well as head of the state Department of Human Services under Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes and then Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Jones, a two-term DeKalb County CEO, is an intelligent man and has been a competent county administrator. Unfortunately, his temperament, judgment and behavior make him a bad fit for higher office. His style is confrontational, and he has shown very little ability or willingness to respect conflicting views. Put simply, Jones would not be good for the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. Senate would not be good for him.

You can read the entire endorsement in the AJC archives here.

Chambliss is vulnerable. Recent polling shows that fewer than 40% of Georgia voters are planning to vote to re-elect him this November.  Here is recent polling data from the Mellman Group here.

Turnout is expected to be low in tomorrow’s election, so please make every effort to ensure you get to the polls and select Jim Martin, a solid progressive who can and will defeat Saxby Chambliss this fall.

And if you have a few bucks to spare, please consider a donation to Jim Martin here.

To be crossposted at Daily Kos.

Well-known Georgia populist firebrand and former state legistlator Wycliffe “Wyc” Orr is seriously considering a run against the incompetent and disgraceful Bush rubber stamp, Saxby Chambliss.

Orr, a north Georgia trial lawyer and military veteran, is well-respected throughout the state and is acknowledged as one of the best stump speakers among all Georgia politicians. A group of activist Georgia Democrats, concerned about the various weaknesses of the current 3 declared candidates, is strongly urging Wyc to run and has launched a “Draft Wyc” organization to support his candidacy.

Get an idea of Wyc’s stump strength in the video on the flip…

Orr, in a recent radio talk show appearance, has called for immediate, no-nonsense withdrawal from Iraq. He is regarded as a strong populist and exudes a persona that reminds one of Alabama’s Ron Sparks.

Read more about Wyc Orr and sign the draft petition here. There are also a number of video’s of Orr’s speeches on the site.

Georgia Democrats badly need an aggressive firebrand populist with great stump skills to challenge Chambliss, and Orr just may be the person to fill that bill. Two of the three declared candidates have major weaknesses, while the third and most viable of the three currently announced candidates lacks experience:

Vernon Jones, DeKalb County Chief Executive, Democrat who allegedly supported Bush in 2004. Long saddled with the reputation of a somewhat hedonistic private life, Jones has more baggage than can be found in the belly of a Boeing 777. He has only raised $18,000 thus far, an indication that he has little support.

Dale Cardwell, former WSB TV investigative reporter, is essentially a right wing Republican masquerading as a Democrat. His positions on various issues range from Republican-talking-point to just-plain- crazy…he wants to abolish the IRS for example. For more on Cardwell, his site is here.

Rand Knight, an environmental scientist, is the most appealing of the currently-declared candidates. A new face on the scene, his positions on issues are very much in sync with progressive Dem values. However, he is inexperienced and a marginal stump speaker. IMO, he is extraordinarily intelligent, but does not seem to have to capacity to communicate in such a way that the average Georgian would understand. His website, which can be found  here, is impressive but the verbiage is just too verbose. A Knight candidacy would be a good thing in that it would help him gain some seasoning as  campaigner, but in the big picture he’s not the right guy to face Chambliss at this time.
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Orr has great potential appeal. He has an impeccable reputation in terms of personal integrity, is a solid populist and life-long Democrat, is a veteran, and kicks ass as a speaker. Keep your eye on Wyc…he just may be the right guy to knock off Chambliss.

Crossposted at Daily Kos.