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Milledge Avenue
Downtown • Eastside
Five Points • 1591 Lumpkin Strcct
706-543-2334
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Capitol Impact
What to Watch For
Now that the primary election votes are
counted, the eyes of many Georgians will be fo
cused on the results of two races: the Democratic
battle for governor between It. Gov. Mark Taylor
and Secretary of State Cathy Cox and the GOP
fight for lieutenant governor involving Ralph
Reed and Sen. Casey Cagle.
Those are very important races, for sure, but
there are some other results that the true politi
cal junkie should take a look at as well. Writing
to meet a deadline before all the primary ballots
have even been cast, I can't tell you what those
results are—but I can point out some races that
will be worth a look when the dust settles.
Despite what you may have heard. Gov. Sonny
Perdue has had opposition in the Republican
primary from Ray "States Rights" McBerry, a sup
porter of the old state flag that included the
Confederate battle emblem. The number of votes
McBerry attracted in the GOP primary should be
an excellent indicator of
whatever strength the flag
issue stiii has in Georgia—
and you can assume that
most of McBerry's support
ers will vote for whichever
Democrat runs against
Perdue. If McBerry has
only drawn two or three
percent of the primary
vote, then Perdue will be
in good shape for the general election. But if
McBerry has broken into double digits and re
ceived 10 or 11 percent of the vote, then Perdue
may have an interesting race on his hands for
November.
In Georgia's legislative races, a large number
of incumbent lawmakers had opposition within
their own party primary. Some of these races
could have larger implications for the future di
rection of state politics.
For example, Georgia’s political land cape
appears to be realigning in such a way that the
state could have a largely white Republican Party
going against a Democratic Party that is largely
African-American in future election cycles. You
can see this trend in three majority-black House
districts in metro Atlanta where white female
incumbents faced Democratic primary opposition
from African-American candidates: Rep. Kathy
Ashe (D-Atlanta), Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale
Estates) and Rep. Michele Henson (D-Stone
The number of votes McBerry
attracted in the GOP primary
should be an excellent indicator
of whatever strength the flag
issue still has in Georgia.
Mountain). If Ashe, Drenner and Henson lost
their races, that could be a sign that the trans
formation of the Democratic Party into a "Black
Party" is speeding up.
A House race in southeastern Georgia ought
to test the respective strengths of the "Country
Club" faction of the Republican Party and the
party's Christian conservative wing. Rep. Hinson
Mosley is retiring, and the two Republicans who
competed for his seat are Kay Godwin, a long
time party activist who has been endorsed by
the Christian Coalition's Sadie Fields, and Mark
Williams, a real estate broker backed by mainline
Republican leaders like House Speaker Glenn
Richardson.
That same schism between the fiscal and
social issues wings of the Republican Party has
been tested in Gwinnett County, where Rep.
Bobby Reese (R-Sugar Hill) ran against former
county commission chairman Wayne Hill. Reese is
a social conservative, while Hill is a more prag
matic businessman.
Some other legislative races to watch: Rep.
Robert Mumford (R-Conyers), a former district at
torney and Superior Court judge, had GOP primary
opposition from Steve Perry, an insurance agent,
in a House district on the eastern fringe of metro
Atlanta. The winner of that race will have to
work some more in the general election against
Democrat George Wilson,
because the district is
trending increasingly more
Democratic.
Over in Augusta, Rep.
Earnestine Howard (D
Augusta), the widow of
deceased lawmaker Henry
Howard, ran against her
stepson, Henry "Wayne"
Howard, in the Democratic
primary. Regardless of Ihe result, that's a race
that probably generated some interesting discus
sions around the family dinner table.
A bitter rematch was fought .n the southwest
corner of Georgia where Rep. Freddie Powell
Sims (D-Albany) defeated Democratic incumbent
Lawrence Roberts two years ago. Roberts made
an effort to win back his old seat by running an
other primary campaign against Sims.
Sen. Sam Zamarripa, the first Latino to serve
in the state Senate, is giving up his seat after
rwo terms to concentrate on his business ven
tures. Rep. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) and former
House member Grace Davis had to decide in the
Democratic primary who will replace him.
Enjoy watching the results of the battles be
tween Cox and Taylor, and Cagle and Reed. But
look out for the outcomes of these other races,
too.
Tom Crawford tcrawlord@caprlof«mpact net
Junkman's Daughter's Brother • 458 E. Clayton St. • 706-543-4454
RdoPG Me...
ACC ANIMAL CONTROL
45 Beaverdair. Rd. • 706-613-3540
These two young ladies came in
together. They are small and short-
leg^ probably dachshund mixes. One
has a smooth black and white coat and
the other a fluffy tan and black. Both
are sweet and can’t-keep-yer-hands off-
’em adorable.
Another fncndfy low-
rider. Affectionate
adult red and white
Corgi mix with a great
smile and friendly
attitude.
Big beaut hi Co&e ma with light
brow,i soulful eyes and a
luxurious coat that needs a good
brushing. Excellent on a leash
with a strong drive to please.
Already spayed. Abandoned by
her family.
Tan Bulldog rrux has
a four-star mug and
an athletic musde-
npokngbodNetdto
see him to appreciate.
Week of • • ATHENS AREA HUMANE SOCIETY
*7 Cats Received
July 13.20M: < Cat* Maced
ACC ANIMAL CONTROL
42 Dogs Received
17 Dogs Placed
8 FLAGPOLE.COM -JULY 19, 2006
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