As you may know, in Georgia's 8th district, incumbent Democrat Jim Marshall appears to have barely won re-election against former incumbent Republican Mac Collins. However rather than conceding like a good Republican, Mac Collins has chosen to push forward - to a recount, and perhaps further.
I thought it would be interesting to look at what Collins thought of recounts in 2000.
November 2006:
Rep. Jim Marshall won a third term by a slight margin and freshman Rep. John Barrow has also claimed victory. But their opponents - former GOP congressmen Mac Collins and Max Burns - insist provisional and military absentee ballots could still swing the elections in their favor. . . .
In middle Georgia's 8th District, Collins also refused to give up despite trailing Marshall by almost 1,700 votes. Spokesman Bill Hagan said Collins may also wait until next week before deciding whether to concede.
Neither Republican contender has ruled out seeking a recount if the results show them losing. Georgia law allows an automatic recount for any candidate losing by 1 percent of the vote or less.
November 2000:
Rep. Mac Collins, a Republican from the Columbus area, said he had received 90 messages as of Tuesday morning from constituents via e-mail, telephone or letter. All said any recount was unnecessary and unfair, he said.
"They are concerned that post-election politics is hijacking the vote- counting process," Collins said.
"These calls, letters and e-mails have come from teachers, professionals, workers and housewives," he continued. "I urge both campaigns to heed the people of Georgia's 3rd Congressional District and stop the legal maneuvers."
From "Georgia delegation sharply split; Cleland tries to bridge rancor" in The Atlanta Journal and Constitution on November 15, 2000.
And:
If Vice President Al Gore wins the presidential recount in Florida, Republicans in Congress could snap back with a rejection of Florida's electoral votes.
And that could mean a victory for the Republican candidate, Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
"I think that's a possibility," Rep. Mac Collins, the four-term Republican from Jonesboro, said Monday of the potential House and Senate action.
"If there are problems with the vote, and things continue to go the way they're going in Florida, we're trying to find a solution to this, and that may be one avenue," Collins said.
From "CONGRESS: Republicans mulling ways to defeat Gore; ELECTION 2000: PRESIDENTIAL RACE" in The Atlanta Journal and Constitution on November 22, 2000.
You know, I had absolutely no recollection of Collins' position on the 2000 recount - yet somehow, I knew that he opposed it. Yet now that it's his election, here he is, all about the recounts.
Nice to see him come around on the issue, isn't it?