Gross out, Jacobs in
August 4, 2008 at 4:34 pm by Scott Henry in NewsAmong Georgia counties, DeKalb is the acknowledged Democratic stronghold. So it’s astonishing that the Democrats have failed even to get anyone on the ballot to challenge the county’s most notorious (OK, only) party-switcher.
State Rep. Mike Jacobs, who turned Republican last summer, looks to be home-free following the recent disqualification of Keith Gross on residency grounds. An administrative law judge determined last month that Gross, an openly gay businessman, hadn’t lived in Georgia for two years, as required by law. Last week, Secretary of State Karen Handel agreed; Gross did not appeal her decision.
But wait, that’s not all. There was a second Democrat seeking to unseat Jacobs, but she won’t be on the ballot either. We’re told that Michelle Conlon, about whom we know almost nothing, had originally planned to run, but apparently Gross intimidated her into not qualifying.
After it became apparent that Gross was in trouble, Conlon tried to qualify as an independent, but she failed to gather enough signature, so she, too, is out.
So, Jacobs, a guy who Democrats should be gunning for simply as a point of pride for turning Republican right on their own turf, coasts to another term completely unchallenged.
“I won’t be coasting,” Jacobs countered when we asked his reaction. “I’m planning to start going door to door to talk to constituents about the issues.”
Sounds as if Mike’s getting an early jump on the next election. If DeKalb Democrats are smart, they’ll do likewise.
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