Comments on: Gary Black, Seth Harp win YR Straw Poll

By: GOPGeorgia

GOPGeorgia — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:37:33 +0000

Joel has also worked on Sen. Jeff Mullis’s campaigns as well.

By: Bill Simon

Bill Simon — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:48:28 +0000

B in B,

I don’t think McElhannon ran McGuire’s campaign.

However, he did run the following, and rather successfully too:

Rep. Bill Heath (who defeated Tom Murphy in 2002)
Senator Bill Heath (2004?)
Senator Chip Rogers (2004)
Senator Judson Hill (2004)
Lt. Governor Casey Cagle (2006)
Senator Bill Cowsert 2006, 2008)
Judge Debra Bernes (2004)
Judge Sara Doyle (2008)

And, a few other wins. Yes, Joel has lost a few too. VERY few, though.

Do tell us, what campaigns YOU have personally consulted on and won?

By: RuralDem

RuralDem — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:57:16 +0000

Back in Black,

The only reason I connect the two is because they’re so similar in the sense that they seem to randomly pop up for statewide office.

I fully expect to see a Kemp/McGuire Gov/Lt Gov combo in 2014. However, within two months I’m sure they’d switch and McGuire would run for Gov, Kemp for Lt. Gov.

For the baseball fans out there, these guys are hitting for the cycle!

By: Back in Black

Back in Black — Mon, 18 May 2009 23:51:40 +0000

Interesting that you connect Kemp and McGuire. Didn’t Joel McElhannon run Perry McGuire’s last place campaign too? He ran the last Kemp campaign for sos into the dirt too.

Remind me of the definition of crazy again. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?

Congressman Whitehead. Commissioner Kemp. Fat chance, so to speak. Kemp needs to do something different this time, not the same.

By: Romegaguy

Romegaguy — Mon, 18 May 2009 23:08:04 +0000

So lapel stickers vote for statewide office

By: RuralDem

RuralDem — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:06:54 +0000

Slyram,

All of your rants about Marshall go back to him not endorsing Obama. He did the right thing in his district.

Besides, this entire advocating Scott to run against Marshall because Marshall did not endorse Obama thing really makes no sense. Scott isn’t going to support Obama either.

If you had policy disagreements or something then it’d be more understandable, but sour grapes because Marshall didn’t support someone most Conservative Democrats in Georgia didn’t support is pretty bad.

Why aren’t you calling for challenges to state legislative members who did not endorse Obama or 2010 candidates?

By: North Ga Indy

North Ga Indy — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:07:14 +0000

Take the GA Young Republicans Straw Poll with a grain of salt. These guys are more irrelevant than Daily Kos and MSNBC. Ox should be ahead with 48 compared to Deal’s 26 and Handel’s ZERO while Kemp should have won 195-76.

By: slyram

slyram — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:45:42 +0000

fundy1611: Are you serious about Austin Scott running against Jim Marshall because I will get in my dirt red pickup, roll my sleeves up and get to work. I think the main reason more people aren’t think about that matchup is that Marshall and the Blue Dogs will continue to work the Dem White House in Georgia’s state interests the way the GOP members of the delegation did before January.

There might be concern that Marshall would then jump into the governor race and could actually win. As a person in rural Worth County who lives three miles from Tift County, I can tell you that Scott’s supporters in the southern part of the district could bring plenty Democrats and Blacks around for a congressional race. And that whole flag thing would actually seem courageous juxtaposed against Marshall never supporting Obama in the heat of the battle or the thin air of the DNC Convention in Denver.

By: Big Dawg

Big Dawg — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:44:52 +0000

I was suprised Deal did not have a bigger presence in Savannah. Gary seemed to be pretty strong. And I was not that imppressed with MacGinnitie. I talked to him and Kemp both and was a lot more impressed with Kemp, he seemed to have more support at the convention in my opinion.

By: rebelyelp

rebelyelp — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:59:16 +0000

At the top of the ticket Ox, Handel, and Scott stayed very busy working the crowd. Johnson had a decent presence. Deal was hard to find. (I’m for Johnson, who will beat the Ox/Handel survivor in a runoff).

Down ticket, Kemp was the best prepared and hardest working candidate I observed. Those not staying at the Westin were greeted by a hundred or so Kemp signs along the entrance, and Kemp himself personally greeted and attempted to sticker every delegate coming and going from the breakfast and at the close of the convention.

Ox’s sticker team was especially aggressive. I bet they handed out 5ooo stickers to the 1000 delegates, whether you wanted one or not. As soon as you ditched one sticker, another Oxlet would appear to replace it. I admired the moxie, but found it somewhat off putting. All those Yankees in Gwinnett are rubbing of on Ox.

By: BuckheadConservative

BuckheadConservative — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:57:01 +0000

I would encourage anyone who has not had a chance to meet Doug MacGinnitie, to go to one of his events. Listen to him and then speak to him afterwards. You’ll be impressed.

By: Georgia Judge

Georgia Judge — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:54:10 +0000

Mike,nothing against Perry but he is not in the same league as Kemp as it relates to having a state wide base.I think anytime Georgia can have a person the caliber of Kemp seeking public office ,the better.I feel Kemp is qualified for the SOS position and think he will be a good one.
I know this about Kemp he is a tireless worker and is a good campaigner so if you are going to beat him you better be willing to cover this State from one end to the other,because Brian will.I have not seen his Steering Committee or endorsements but I would be willing to bet it is as geographically diverse as any candidte running statewide.

By: Mike Hauncho

Mike Hauncho — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:15:09 +0000

Name ID did nothing for Perry McGuire. What will hurt Brian Kemp is that he was a State Senator, he then ran for Ag. Commissioner, and now this. While I have nothing personal against Brian, I do have a problem with politicians who always have to have a bigger position, who run for anything they can get their hands, and who are not consistant in their choices. If he was qulaified for Ag. Comm. then why not run for that again? Why SoS? It is fine to move up in the world but run for an office because you are qualified, not because you want to be a career politician.

By: Part-Time Atlanta

Part-Time Atlanta — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:06:24 +0000

These are always fun to look at and discuss.

Congrats to all the winners. Although straw polls don’t really mean too much when it comes down to the vote, it can shown a campaign’s ability to organize and execute.

To those who didn’t win, don’t worry you’ll have your chance. I’m sure there will be hundreds more between now and the election.

RuralDem,

I think McGuire went from House to SoS to Atty Gen to Appeals Court. Kemp has only gone from Senate to Ag Comm to Senate to SoS.
Technically, that’s only three different offices so McGuire still has the lead. And that’s even if he doesn’t qualify for something this time.

By: RuralDem

RuralDem — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:43:55 +0000

drjay,

Thanks for the info!

Wow, at this pace Brian Kemp might out do Perry McGuire, and that’s saying something.

By: Georgia Judge

Georgia Judge — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:35:14 +0000

Kemp is the better candidate and I believe will ultimately win the SOS race.His statewide name ID is much higher and his Statewide network will serve him well.I dont know DM,but do know Kemp and he will do a good job as the next SOS.

By: Kellie

Kellie — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:19:47 +0000

LMAO
You’re too funny Icky.

By: Icarus

Icarus — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:36:42 +0000

“…that may be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever read on this forum.”

You’re new here, and welcome. Just keep reading. We can do better.

By: BuckheadConservative

BuckheadConservative — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:34:16 +0000

So foray, you have to be deeply entrenched in the political system to be qualified to hold political office. That thinking, along with being a completely asinine catch-22, is exactly why all we get is more of the same out of our state government. MacGinnitie/Kemp aside, that may be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever read on this forum.

By: Maurice Atkinson

Maurice Atkinson — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:56:35 +0000

His business and legal background are strong a strong pull for me. The odds are certainly against him, however, he is an engaging person. The varioius statewide races are dominated by political insiders. There’s not a thing wrong with that.

My point is that MacGinnitie brings a fresh face with a consistent message. Should he be the nominee, that will certainly provide balance to the ticket.

Think some gal from Wasilla became something from what was supposed to be nothing. And by George, we have a “community organizer” in the Whitehouse. So, why not a City Councilman with executive and legal experience running a department that is involved with nearly every industry in Georgia?