Runoff voting underway across state

Voting is underway across Georgia this morning in the runoff election. There is much national focus on how the U.S. Senate race will play-out, and whether Democrats might get a step closer to the magic mark of 60 seats. Also to be considered by voters at the polls today--runoff races for a seat on the Public Service Commission, and an opening on the Court of Appeals. There are also various county commission, school board and other local office races to be considered depending where you are in the state. State elections officials remind voters to bring a photo ID to the polls. Precincts will be open until 7 o’clock tonight.

We invite you to join us on GPB Radio tonight starting at 8pm--we’ll have updates at the top of the hours on Georgia’s runoff election with our reporters in the field at candidate headquarters. You can also get all the latest on Georgia election news anytime at our website blog page: gpb.org/election.

U.S. Senate candidates' final push today

It is the final push for the Georgia U.S. Senate candidates, with the runoff election ahead tomorrow. Democratic challenger Jim Martin spent weekend time in Macon, Savannah and Columbus. While in Columbus, Martin appealed to veterans who live in the area. Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss attended the Georgia-Georgia Tech football game Saturday in Athens--on Sunday, he appeared on Fox News Sunday to make his national case.

Last night, Chambliss welcomed Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to Georgia with private fundraisers in Atlanta. Today, Chambliss and the former vice presidential candidate will hit four cities in Georgia, starting with Augusta this morning. They'll move to Savannah, Perry, and metro Atlanta afterward. For Martin, he’ll campaign with civil rights leaders in two statewide stops today--Augusta and Macon, and then return to Atlanta with a State Capitol rally alongside hip-hop star Ludacris.

Get all the latest with Georgia election news by going to our website: gpb.org/election

Martin slams Chambliss over veterans benefits

Martin shaking hands with supporters at Democratic Party headquarters in Columbus, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008. (Dave Bender)

The Senate candidates used the weekend to emphasize their messages and try to get out the vote for Tuesday’s runoff.

Democrat Jim Martin spent time in Macon and Savannah on Saturday, and met with about 50 people on Sunday in Columbus.

Martin tailored his Columbus appearance on what he said were Chambliss’ failings to improve benefits for veterans and military personnel:

“It troubles me that he voted 23 times not to increase health care benefits for veterans. “Well, we’re trying to balance our budget,” well, if you’re going to balance your budget, don’t give 700 billion dollars to Wall Street and refuse to give money to the veterans – don’t do it.”

Columbus has a large veteran population, due to the Army’s nearby Fort Benning infantry post.

On the Republican side, Saxby Chambliss attended the Georgia - Georgia Tech game on Saturday, and on Fox News Sunday that the race would not be a referendum on President-Elect Barack Obama.

Georgia is one of only two Senate races still to be decided in this election cycle. Results of the Minnesota race are still in dispute.

Click here for more GPB News election coverage.

Chambliss vying for voters as runoff deadline nears

Chambliss speaking with reporters at a recent press conference at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. (Dave Bender/file)

Republican Saxby Chambliss likes to say he never expected to be at the "epicenter of the political world," but that's exactly where he finds himself as he battles for his political survival in the last big election of 2008.

Standing between Democrats and their long-sought 60-seat supermajority in the Senate, Mr. Chambliss heads into Tuesday's runoff against Democrat Jim Martin carrying the weight of the GOP establishment on his shoulders.

"Let's face it, the world is watching Georgia," the 65-year-old freshman senator said Wednesday at a rally in north Georgia. "We have the opportunity to make sure (President-elect) Obama doesn't move us far, far to the left."

His political career began when he won a seat in the U.S. House in 1994. In 2001, he launched what many thought was a hopeless bid to oust Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, a triple amputee wounded in the Vietnam War. A bad knee kept Mr. Chambliss out of the Vietnam conflict.

Mr. Chambliss -- a virtual unknown statewide -- ran a tough campaign against Mr. Cleland, unleashing a TV ad that questioned the veteran's commitment to national security and flashed a photo of Osama bin Laden.

The ad infuriated Democrats, but Mr. Chambliss won the 2002 contest with 53 percent of the votes, helped along by shifting political winds in Georgia. After generations of Democratic control, the state began its swing Republican that year.

In the Senate, Mr. Chambliss emerged as a strong opponent of abortion and supporter of gun rights. He is also known as a reliably pro-business vote and was largely in lockstep with the Bush administration.

As a freshman senator, he rose quickly to become the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. He has been the ranking Republican on the panel since the Democrats won control of the Senate in 2006.

Mr. Chambliss also was handed the reins of the influential Republican Majority Fund, a political action committee that raises money for GOP candidates. Fundraising trips for the PAC have allowed him to indulge his love for golf. In Golf Digest's April ranking of Washington's top 200 golfers, he tied for No. 41.

Still, Mr. Chambliss has not always endeared himself to conservatives. He drew boos at a 2007 gathering of Georgia Republicans for supporting a compromise immigration package, which critics likened to amnesty. He later withdrew his support for the plan.

His work championing a bipartisan energy measure was lambasted by radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh and other conservative commentators.

This year, he co-authored the five-year, $300 billion Farm Bill derided by some for being loaded with giveaways and rich subsidies for wealthy farmers.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will join Chambliss on Monday at several rallies across the state.

Click here for more GPB News election coverage.

(AP)

Martin in 11th-hour, cross-state voter race

Martin, speaking with reporters at a recent press conference at his campaign headquarters in Atlanta. (Dave Bender/file)

Democratic Senate challenger Jim Martin made an appearance in Macon and Savannah Saturday in his hotly fought Senate bid against incumbent Saxby Chambliss.

Martin, speaking in front of a now-closed tobacco plant in east Bibb County, told reporters:

“Economic prosperity is based on capital investment. We’ve had a financial situation where the financial sector has been virtually unregulated and it’s resulted in a disaster for American industry,” he said.

“We need to make sure that whatever stimulus package is passed will focus on creating jobs for Americans and stimulating the economy.”

The press conference was Martin's second of the day: he'd appeared at a veterans rally in Savannah that morning, Macon.com reports.

Martin's 72-hour rally continues Sunday afternoon in Columbus.

The candidate and House Chief Deputy Whip G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina will host a veterans and military benefits roundtable at the Muscogee County Democratic Office. The two will hold a rally for supporters later in the evening, according to a statement released by Martin's office.


Chambliss speaking with reporters at a recent press conference at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. (Dave Bender/file)

Rival Chambliss will be joined by Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on Monday at several rally around the state.

Both candidates have buffed the closing days of their campaigns with national political heavyweights in an effort to swing more voters, and convince the party faithful to actually get to the polls and vote on Tuesday.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the runoff race.

Senate candidates break--only for today

Georgia's runoff election is only days away, but today will be a day of rest and time for family for the two U.S. Senate candidates.

But for Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin, both were busy yesterday in the final hours before the holiday. Chambliss was in Gainesville at an event with Zell Miller. The former Governor and Senator had this to say in turning-out to help Chambliss.

"It's a very important election. I don't get out of Young Harris much...it takes a lot to get me over that mountain. It's important."

Miller went on to say this was "a history changing election" and urged a gathering of Republicans to send incumbent Chambliss back to Washington.

In Atlanta yesterday, Jim Martin received the support of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers. Martin spokesman Matt Canter on the Democratic challenger’s schedule in these final days.

"We've got one more election left...people know how important it is. Jim Martin certainly wants to take as much time as he can with his family, but he's also traveling the state talking to voters making sure everybody get out to the polls on Tuesday."

Early voting for Georgia's runoff election is now closed. The Secretary of State's website shows over 345,000 registered voters took advantage of the opportunity to cast ballots early.

Voters flock to polls in Muscogee Co.

Muscogee Co. residents waiting to vote at the Columbus Public Library, September, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Columbus and Muscogee County voting officials report a high turnout in absentee ballots and early voting for Tuesday’s Senate runoff. Dave Bender reports.

Nancy Boren, director of Elections and Registration says the over 9,000 ballots her Columbus office has received since Monday is, in her words, “exceptional:”

"I think the biggest portion of it is you have all of the automatic ballots that we have to mail out anyway: all of the military, the elderly, and those that are disabled. The other reason is the mailer that was sent by the governor that enabled people to fill out the application for the absent ballot and receive it in their home with the holiday approaching – it just makes it an easy way to vote.”

Boren said 48 polling stations will be open from 7 am to 7 pm in Muscogee County for Tuesday’s race between Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin.

Both parties have brought a bevy of national political heavyweights to Georgia to stump in the closely held race.

Voter turnout in runoff races is usually poor, but Boren says she expects to see higher than usual numbers this time.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the runoff race.

Giuliani's turn to stump for Chambliss

Giuliani and Chambliss. (Carl Zornes)

Incumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss today welcomed the support of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani is just the latest in a series of national political figures coming to Georgia to support their party this run-off season.

Flanked by police officers and other first responders, Giuliani said Chambliss’ experience is needed back in the Senate:

"His understanding of our intelligence services, his understanding of terrorism, is really surpassed by no one in Washington. And we need people like Saxby Chambliss who has that experience. Having been a first responder himself, having been someone who, from the beginning of his career in Washington, took a great interest in intelligence and improving it."

For his part, Democrat Jim Martin began sending out robo-calls featuring president-elect Barack Obama.

A new poll released by Insider Advantage puts Chambliss ahead of Martin by three percentage points – still within the margin of error.

Sarah Palin is expected to come to Georgia next week to stump for Chambliss. The former vice presidential candidate will travel across Georgia with Chambliss just one day before the election.

Runoff election one week away

Now one week to go before the Georgia’s runoff election, and the candidates are moving at full speed. Races to be decided include U.S. Senate, a seat on the Public Service Commission, and opening on the Court of Appeals.

Today in the Senate race, Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss gets a visit from former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani in Atlanta. This follows a visit for Democratic challenger Jim Martin by former vice president Al Gore on Sunday.

Senate candidates into stretch run toward runoff

Saying "it’s time for him to go" in referring to Republican incumbent Senator Saxby Chambliss, former vice president Al Gore dropped into Georgia to stump for Democratic senate challenger Jim Martin. Gore spoke to about 600 people at an Atlanta art gallery Sunday night, telling the crowd "change is coming to Georgia." The Gore visit for Martin follows that of Mitt Romney for Chambliss on Friday, as the parade of high-profile names into Georgia continues. The former Massachusetts Governor in his visit told Chambliss-faithful that a victory by Martin could be a first step toward a European brand of socialism.

Tomorrow, its former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani arriving in Atlanta for Chambliss. The runoff election to decide the U.S. Senate race, as well as races for seats on the Public Service Commission and Court of Appeals, is ahead a week from tomorrow.

Clinton for Martin, gun lobby for Chambliss on Wednesday

Georgia’s runoff election is ahead in 12 days, and for the candidates, little time to lose on the campaign trail. From Atlanta on the campus of Clark-Atlanta University, a few thousand Democratic supporters braved chilly temperatures in the 40’s to rally for U.S. Senate challenger Jim Martin. Supporters heard from a former president.

"His opponent was elected on a false premise six years ago, and is running on a false premise today"

Bill Clinton fired-up the crowd and looked to make the case of Martin’s ‘campaign for change’ against Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss. As Democrats have drawn to within two seats of a filibuster-proof U.S. Senate, high focus has fallen on the Georgia race. Clinton made that a recurring theme in his 20-minute address.

"We don't need a firewall, we need a bridge. Martin's the bridge, Chambliss is the firewall...this is not rocket science. ...will you put Georgia back on the right path and send a message to the rest of the country about what kind of state this is and what kind of people you are?"

Meanwhile, Chambliss was on the trail Wednesday with stops in Atlanta and Perry. He was alongside the executive VP of the National Rifle Association getting their support. Chambliss says in the wake of the GOP losing the Alaska Senate seat, he’s ready to handle the pressure of this race in Georgia.

"The pressure is always there in campaigns. Certainly it has become much more important with the situation in Alaska developing like it has. It's imperative we win this seat."

Ahead for Chambliss Friday, he’ll get a visit from Mitt Romney, former presidential candidate. Martin on Sunday gets former vice president Al Gore coming to Georgia.

Clinton to rally Martin supporters in Atlanta

Another high-profile name drops into the state today to get involved in the U.S. Senate race. Former president Bill Clinton will be in Atlanta this afternoon to headline a rally in support of Democrat Jim Martin. The hotly-contested race between Martin and Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss is leading to the runoff election in 13 days. Ahead on Friday, Chambliss’ camp will get the boost from former presidential candidate Mitt Romney. And on Sunday, more help for Martin arrives in the person of former vice president Al Gore.

US Senate run-off heats up

Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin, speaking with Georgia Public Broadcasting at a Veteran's Day parade, in midtown Atlanta. (Dave Bender)

Aides from President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign are coming to Georgia to help Democrat Jim Martin, in his runoff bid against incumbent Senator Republican Saxby Chambliss.

Chambliss will get help from John McCain who’s coming to Georgia on Thursday for a rally.

Democrat Martin says they have no commitment for President-elect Barack Obama to visit Georgia, but he says Obama staffers are coming to help:

“it’s a Georgia race, and we’ll be happy to have people come in and pay us a visit, but this is really about Georgians and who will be the best senator in the United States Senate to represent Georgia.”

Martin says his campaign has 25 field offices.

Chambliss announced yesterday he’s opening ten campaign offices.

Experts say the winner will be the one who’s got the best ground game at getting their voters back to the polls on December second.

Neither candidate got enough the necessary 50-percent plus one of the vote on Election Day.

Click here for GPB News election coverage.

Handel to report Fulton County election officials

Fulton County elections officials are in hot water with state officials over uncounted ballots. Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel says she will report county officials to the state election board. The reason—sending workers home while thousands of ballots remained un-counted earlier this week. Handel says the tally of more than 30,000 absentee ballots could have been finished had workers not left early Wednesday morning following a long election day Tuesday. Fulton County officials say workers needed the rest. Fulton has key ballots important to the determination of the U.S. Senate race not yet tallied.

Lively candidates forum in Perry

The first face-off of the candidates in the U.S. Senate race came last night in front of a boisterous crowd at the Georgia Fairgrounds in Perry Thursday night. Sharp words were traded between Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss and the challengers--Democrat Jim Martin and Libertarian Allen Buckley. The financial crisis was the overriding topic. Chambliss calling the crisis the "9/11 of our domestic economy". He defended his vote for the 700-billion dollar federal bailout, and said his opponents were sticking their heads in the sand over the issue. Martin and Buckley fired back that Chambliss was too aligned with President Bush policies, and said there are not good enough safeguards in the bailout for homeowners.

Last night’s debates also featured the 8th Congressional district race combatants--Representative Jim Marshall and Republican challenger Rick Goddard.

Georgia National Fair to host candidates

The Georgia National Fair in Perry has the rides, fair food, and concerts on its menu. For today, it’ll have politics on the schedule. The first face-to-face meeting for Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin is set as time is ticking down toward next month’s election, when voters decide the Georgia U.S. Senate race. Republican incumbent Chambliss, along with Democratic challenger Martin, will be joined by Libertarian Allen Buckley in the candidates forum.

U.S. Senate race tightens

Senator Saxby Chambliss began the senate race with arsenal of advantages. Besides the fact he’s a Republican incumbent in a red state, he had a war chest of 10 million dollars and a nine point lead on his Democrat challenger Jim Martin.

But now independent polls show Martin trailing Chambliss by two points in one poll and just one point in another.

Political expert Charles Bullock at the University of Georgia says that’s real close especially when you consider the margin of error. Bullock says a slight shift like the black vote could help tip the scales. “African Americans will vote 90 to 95 percent for Democrats," says Bullock. "The extent to which these new voters get mobilized and get out to vote, and we see a very high rate of African Americans voting early... That’s not good news for Saxby Chambliss.”

Bullock says what’s happening in the senate race is part of a broader national trend favoring Democrats which is turning red states like Georgia pink. He also attributes recent poll results to Chambliss’s yes vote for the unpopular senate bailout bill. It had the senator at odds with all Republican house members in the state.

Chambliss and Martin's first formal debate is this Thursday at the Georgia state fair in Perry.

U.S. Senate Dem candidate Martin endorsed

Vernon Jones and Jim Martin are in campaign mode as the two are looking ahead to their Democratic U.S. Senate runoff ahead on August 5th. Thursday, it was Martin who received the endorsement of two other candidates eliminated from the primary race on Tuesday. Dale Cardwell and Rand Knight threw their support behind the former state lawmaker Martin. Another former candidate, Josh Lanier, says he will remain neutral in his support. Jones was the top vote-getter with 40 percent-—Martin earned 34 percent. The runoff winner faces Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss in November.

Democrats in U.S. Senate race debate

Five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in Georgia’s U.S. Senate race got together last night for debate in Atlanta. There were sparks over the issue of campaign cash. The two candidates who have said they will not accept money from political action committees--Dale Cardwell and Josh Lanier--went after Jim Martin. Martin has been taking the largest number of PAC contributions. The debate also included candidates Vernon Jones and Rand Knight. The five are facing-off in the primary for the right to take-on Republican Saxby Chambliss in November.