Georgia voters go to the polls today to cast ballots in the state’s general primary election. There, they will find considerable evidence that the two-party system remains viable across the state – despite self-serving suggestions that the Peach State is so comfortably nestled in the Republican corner that Democratic and other contenders for elective office are merely dreamers with no real hope of victory in the general election in November.
To the contrary, today’s election features hotly contested races in both Republican and Democratic primaries. The race to secure the nomination for governor is indicative of the vigor of both parties. That’s hardly a surprise. Current Gov. Sonny Perdue, a Republican, is term-limited and cannot seek re-election. A vacant seat always draws a crowd, and that’s certainly the case this year. There are seven GOP candidates and seven Democratic contenders for the state’s top post. The campaigning has been fierce – a boon for voters who deserve a full airing of issues before they vote.
The most heated race has been on the Republican side, where three candidates have emerged as favorites in a contest that seems destined for a run-off. Former Secretary of State Karen Handel, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine and former congressman Nathan Deal are the front-runners, though last- minute events could change that.
A poll taken Thursday and Friday and paid for by 13 newspapers – including the Chattanooga Times Free Press – with heavy readership in the state showed Mrs. Handel in the lead with 29 percent of the vote. She’s followed by Mr. Oxendine with 22 percent and Mr. Deal with 20 percent. That’s a major change from an earlier poll that indicated Mr. Oxendine leading with 31 percent of the vote followed by Mrs. Handel with 23 percent and Mr. Deal with 18 percent. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 points.
Mrs. Handel’s late surge seems tied to an endorsement last week from Sarah Palin, the former GOP vice presidential candidate and now an influential figure in the party. Even that boost, however, seems unlikely to propel Mrs. Handel to the more than 50 percent of the primary vote needed to avoid a runoff.
Polls indicate that former Gov. Roy Barnes has a substantial lead in the Democratic race for governor, which has been far quieter than the GOP primary. It appears that he could win the nomination without a runoff, but a crowded field with other high-profile candidates might make that difficult to accomplish.
The gubernatorial battles aren’t the only primary flashpoints. Contests in both parties for lieutenant governor, for secretary of state, for attorney general, for state school superintendent and for commissioners of insurance, agriculture and labor are drawing statewide interest, too. Primaries for other, more localized, offices have won attention as well.
Given the plethora of candidates in both parties and the broad interest the primaries have generated, any insinuation that Georgia is a one-party state seems premature.