Because Nathan Deal (Rep, GA-9) has decided to retire early (effective March 8th), Democrats have the potential to pull off a surprising upset this year! Netroots can help us take advantage of this opening!
More below
Its been known for awhile that incumbent Representative Nathan Deal was retiring from Congress to pursue his run for the governor's mansion this year.
This opening hasn't received a lot of attention in media, because the 9th Congressional District, which covers most of north Georgia, is seen as a very safe seat for the GOP. And with good reason. North Georgia has been solidly Republican in national elections for the past 2 decades.
A couple of things concerning the assumption of safety about this seat:
- Nathan Deal was elected to this seat as a Democrat. He eventually switched over to Republican. So, the last new candidate elected to the 9th was a Democrat.
- The anti-incumbent mood of the country is very strong in Georgia, what with the state government floundering as badly as it is, and this can work against Republicans just as easily as it can against Democrats.
- "Tea Party" candidates are popping up all over, and could easily split the vote.
- There are 11 candidates running for this seat, about 7 of which are officially Republican, but there's also a Libertarian and two others that are Tea Party types. There's one Democrat, Mike Freeman.
- Mike is a solid Democrat, progressive, but also has credentials which will play well in Georgia (retired Episcopal minister, former military, very likeable and well-spoken). And he's already had a good beginning on raising money in a difficult climate to do so.
And finally, the best reason...
- With Deal's retirement, a special election has to be held by law, even though its in the actual election year.
So, what's probably going to happen is the following:
On July 20th, there will be two elections. One, the regularly scheduled primary, in which Freeman is the only Democratic candidate...with a whole fleet of Republicans and conservatives splitting up votes on the other side, and...
A second special election held simultaneously to fill the remainder of Deal's term. In this election, all the candidates will be lumped together and there won't be any kind of run-off. Its a one-shot winner-take-all.
With one Democrat, Mike Freeman, running...against a fleet of conservatives and Republicans splitting the vote between them!
In other words, Democrats can pick up a seat early, then with enough support, hang onto that seat in November.
I'm hoping that people will consider supporting Mike Freeman in his run for Congress. Giving what's going on and Mike's strengths, Democrats and progressives can put a surprising win on the board this year!