Barrow, Broun primary races at top of full slate of campaigns in Georgia

One of the busiest primary states in the country will hold its party contests Tuesday, with at least two Georgia incumbents facing potentially stiff challenges.

Reps. John Barrow (D) and Paul Broun (R) are each battling tough intra-party foes, and Georgia voters will also select Barrow’s GOP opponent and a Democrat to take on Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R).

{mosads}In other races, Reps. John Lewis (D) and David Scott (D) face what appear to be less-serious primary challenges.

The two candidates challenging Barrow and Broun are both considered serious, but have taken vastly different forms.

Barrow, a two-term centrist, is facing a late-emerging and poorly funded African-American challenger who is banking on support from a majority-black Democratic primary electorate. The race didn’t make much news until Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) endorsed Barrow last month.

Broun, who won a special election last year, faces a well-funded GOP challenger who joined the race almost immediately after Broun’s victory. Broun looked to be in jeopardy early, but polls have shown him consistently ahead by large margins.

The incumbent is favored in both races, but low turnout and the demographics of each district make neither a sure thing.

State Rep. Barry Fleming (R) will try to overcome the regionalization of the district against Broun.
Broun was elected over another Republican with the help of Democrats and independents near his base in the Athens area, while his special-election opponent neglected much of the district outside his base of Augusta.

Fleming, who is also from the Augusta area, has learned from that mistake and worked the whole district during his campaign. But the only public polling on the race, released by Broun’s campaign, has shown the incumbent with more than 70 percent of the vote.

“I expect to win fairly handily,” Broun said. He said that in 2007 “we looked at anybody who might vote for me,” but that his targeting this time has been more focused on the narrower GOP electorate.

Fleming said his work in the northern part of the district has helped him overcome the animosity created in the special election.

Fleming said: “We’ve assured the voters there with my background of two degrees from the [Athens-based] University of Georgia and my record of service in the state legislature,” where he said he has focused on even the non-Republican parts of his district.

Barrow’s district is 45 percent black, but African-Americans could very well be a majority of voters in the Democratic primary Tuesday.

Still, it’s not clear how competitive his opponent actually is. State Sen. Regina Thomas (D) has raised just $26,000, compared to nearly $1.7 million for Barrow.

There has been no public polling of the race, but few are counting Thomas out, and Obama’s endorsement suggested caution on Barrow’s side.

Republicans in Barrow’s district will also choose a candidate Tuesday. The district has been a top GOP target, but premier recruits passed on the race this time.

Former congressional aide John Stone and former energy company executive Ray McKinney have raised the most money for the race, bringing in more than $80,000 each, but neither is showing the fundraising prowess of a top GOP challenger. Former talk radio host Ben Crystal is also in the race.

Chambliss is a lower-tier Democratic target. National Democrats have rallied behind attorney Jim Martin, but DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones is a formidable and well-funded foe. He’s also the only African-American on the ballot.

Former television reporter Dale Cardwell, business consultant Rand Knight and former Senate aide Josh Lanier are also running.

Lewis faces a primary challenge from Atlanta minister Markel Hutchins and state Rep. “Able” Mable Thomas. Scott faces former state Sen. Donzella James, whom he beat 67-33 in 2006.
Freshman Rep. Hank Johnson (D), who was expected to face a primary after defeating Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D) in one in 2006, is unopposed, as is retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Rick Goddard (R) in Rep. Jim Marshall’s (D) district.