State political races update
April 3, 2009 at 4:48 pm by Scott Henry in NewsThis week seems to have gone by in a whirl, so let’s recap recent developments in various state political races, shall we?
The week began with buzz over an AJC article suggesting that former Gov. Roy Barnes is weighing a bid to reclaim his old office. Certainly, Barnes, a Marietta Democrat with a thriving private law practice, has been dropping hints in recent weeks that he’s eyeing the race. But doubters, who include many Democrats, guess he’d be unlikely to get back into a contest he lost so badly eight years ago, despite an overwhelming financial advantage. One theory has it that Barnes is pulling a Mario Cuomo – enjoying the attention that his Hamlet act is bringing, but will ultimately stay out.
That feeling was reinforced for some with the surprise announcement Thursday that Democratic state Attorney General Thurbert Baker is planning a run for governor. Some political observers believe Baker wouldn’t have entered the race without first clearing the move with Barnes.
Like state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine with regard to the GOP, Baker does not have close relationships with leaders in his own party. In fact, most Democratic insiders I know view Baker as something of an embarrassment to the party for the many times he’s seemingly kowtowed to Gov. Perdue and other GOP officials on such controversial issues as voter ID to his office’s ongoing defense of the state’s unconstitutional sex-offender law to his appeal of a court ruling to free Genarlow Wilson, a teen sentenced to 10 years in prison for a sex act with a 15-year-old girl.
While the Wilson case could be a millstone around Baker’s neck in the Democratic primary, it’s an issue that would need to be raised by another black candidate. So far, the only declared candidate on the Dem side is David Poythress, a former commander of the Georgia National Guard who long ago served as labor commissioner and secretary of state. Poythress is white.
Simply judging from the many harsh comments left on the Political Insider blog by self-described African American voters, Baker will need to make some public amends for the Wilson debacle before he can move forward. (On the other hand, nearly as many criticize him for his weirdly artificial-looking hair.)
Meanwhile, state Rep. Rob Teilhet, D-Smyrna, wasted little time in declaring his interest in Baker’s current job.
Leave a Reply