Lessons from the Ga. Sen. Runoff

Earlier this evening, news organizations projected that GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss won reelection to the U.S. Senate over Democrat Jim Martin.

My hats off to Jim Martin who came closer than anyone ever thought a Democrat could in Georgia. I think this campaign offers lessons for Democrats running next year in Virginia as well as in the 2010 mid-term elections.

Here’s what comes to mind:

Call Your Friends in Georgia

This Tuesday is the final election day of consequence. On Tuesday, voters in Georgia will have the chance to fire Saxby Chambliss and hire Jim Martin as their next U.S. Senator. I hope they do.

Saxby Chambliss is a recalcitrant, self-righteous man who has no intention of EVER working across party lines. That’s his history and he’s quite proud of it. In contrast Jim Martin has a long history of working on a bipartisan basis to get things done for Georgians.

Ga. Senate Race Update from the AFL-CIO

Yesterday Jimmy Hyde, Georgia director for the AFL-CIO posted this update on Jim Martin’s campaign to defeat GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Fire Saxby, Hire Jim

The road to a 60-seat filibuster-proof majority is becoming clearer and all signs say it goes through Georgia.

Clinton to Campaign for Martin in Ga. Senate Race

This morning the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that former President Bill Clinton will hold a campaign rally for Jim Martin, who is racing a Dec. 2 run-off in his bid to defeat incumbent Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss. The rally will be held Wednesday in Atlanta.

Have you donated to Martin’s campaign yet? He needs your support now – early voting begins Monday.

My Friends, It’s Reprehensible

In his 2002 campaign to be elected Georgia’s U.S. Senator, then-Rep. Saxby Chambliss, you’ll recall, ran one of the most outrageous campaign ads ever run by any Senate candidate in this country. Chambliss ran an ad with the face of incumbent Sen. Max Cleland alongside of photos of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.