The Difference 2015 Makes:
With just a few days under a year to go until next year’s General Election, It seems rather quiet on the candidate front here in Georgia. By this time in 2013 the Democratic Party of Georgia was all a buzz about our top choices for the 2014 Midterms. With glee and excitement by state Democrats including myself, we watched and followed Michelle Nunn as she announced that she would be vying for the Senate seat open thanks to the retirement of then Senator Saxby Chambliss. That news was doubled as we watched Jason Carter, the Grandson of former President and native son of Georgia Jimmy Carter, announce he was gunning for Incumbent Governor Nathan Deal. Deal at the time was plagued with a growing ethics scandal that reached his office at the top. The level of excitement began making the GOP here sweat, soon after polls were showing both top statewide offices were in reach. For me and many GA Democrats, 2014 was like Christmas time in politics. We had the GOP scared, on the run, and coming up with clever ways to try and stop Democrats for being competitive. Instances such as the 45,000 “missing” voter registrations on the eve of the election were signs of true nervousness among the entrenched GOP power structure in the state of Georgia. The odds of course were stacked against us and no one thought otherwise, but what an amazing feat that would be to unseat an incumbent Governor, and take back a Senate seat in a year that heavily favored the GOP. It was the first year since I became of voting age where the tide had seemed to turn finally in favor of, if not a Dem victory, one in which we’d make the state GOP work for and have nightmares over. Sadly, 2014 was a terrible night for Democrats across the country, and for GA Dems, one of downright disappointment and glum. It proved though that two top tier candidates can make the difference, no matter the odds, on drumming up excitement for the base, the party and the state.
So that brings us to 2015. A year out from Election day 2016 and crickets from the Democratic Party of Georgia on a recruit for the top Statewide race in next year’s election. No chatter, no building, not even a hint at who might run. Why is this? An Article from the AJC one year out seems to have an answer:
In Georgia, meanwhile, Democrats who poured so much time and treasure into last year’s gubernatorial and Senate contests still haven’t fielded a candidate to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson next year.
2016 is certainly not 2014 to be sure. For starters the GOP isn’t caught up in a nasty primary for their candidate of choice to keep a US Senate seat out of Democratic hands, a primary race that headed for a run-off thanks to Georgia’s Runoff rules. The choice for Democrats was an easy one in Michelle Nunn, so she had a pretty good head start. Isakson is an incumbent Senator, with his approval rating taken at a whopping 71% in the last Insider Advantage Poll. Granted, this was back in May, but there have been no political events to move those numbers one way or the other in the past 6 months. Isakson starts popular, with no opposition or threat of a primary by the state GOP, and an already impressive war chest for someone who currently has no opposition from Democrats or anyone in his own party for that matter. So what should we do as Georgia Democrats? Is there potential here, is there a reason to give this one a try or is this a lost cause?
Is there anybody out there? Competing Statewide:
As mentioned in the AJC article above, one of the problems we seem to have is that 2014 put all our eggs in one basket, and now the state party has been bled dry of resources to actively recruit someone for the Senate spot, or many down ballot races it would seem. The question then becomes how the state party can turn this around. Is it just a state problem, or is it symptomatic of the larger national problems Democrats have with recruitment and an empty bench depleted by the 2010 and 2014 midterm wipeouts. The other issue is finding a Democrat who can compete outside the 10 county Metro Atlanta Area. One of the oldest sayings I’ve heard since I was a kid is the problem with Atlanta is that it’s surrounded by Georgia. And in our statewide elections this seems to pan out as correct. Democrats do well in the core Atlanta counties of Fulton, Dekalb, Clayton, with increasing success in the other “big” county Gwinnett. Democrats have started to make inroads in the outer suburban counties. 2008 and 2012 saw Obama reaching majorities in formally red suburban counties like Rockdale, Newton and Douglas. However outside the 10 county core Metro Atlanta Area, The middle Georgia “blackbelt” around Macon, Columbus and Augusta, Athens and Savannah, the rest of Georgia Is a deep sea of Red. Who can change that if Daughter of beloved Middle Georgia Senator Sam Nunn, and Grandson of Plains native Jimmy Carter couldn’t?
We must! Making the Case:
Despite all the reasons listed above, I think Georgia Democrats would make a serious mistake in not trying to actively recruit someone to take on Johnny Isakson. 2016 will be a great turnout year where our voters, and Dem leaning voters will be more likely to turn out and vote for whomever we place in that spot. 2016 also has the potential to be a historic election with the first Woman candidate at the top of the ticket. If for nothing else, a candidate for the 2016 US Senate Election in Georgia would build excitement, and a reason for GA Democrats to vote and be active. So the final question posed to you is should we put up a candidate for 2016, or no. And who should it be? Give some possibilities in the comments section. Maybe all that person needs is some encouragement from us. I’ll also be keeping an eye toward the recruitment and let everyone know if GA finds their candidate for the US Senate.