Keen out, Johnson in the running

The elections are over, so Georgia’s politicians have returned to jockeying for position before the start of the next session.

Dick Pettys with InsiderAdvantage reports that House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons, has decided not to run for gubna. Praise be – Keen is the slickest, wiliest, most dangerous guy down at the Gold Dome. If his proudly unconstitutional sex-offender law is any indication of how Rep. Keen – a former state Christian Coalition head – would govern, then heaven help us all.

And the Savannah Morning News reports that Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, has officially thrown his hat into the ring for guv-lite. In recent months, he stepped down as Senate president pro tem to get ready for his run. Apparently, his preparations have also involved shaving off his trademark Van Dyke beard (commonly confused with a goatee). I scarcely recognized him and I’m not sure that losing the facial hair doesn’t paradoxically make him look older somehow.

Here’s what he looks like with the fuzz.