Fresh Loaf

You’d think that by this point in the U.S. Senate Runoff race between incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democratic nominee Jim Martin all the issues would be hashed out. But that’s not the case.

On Sunday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released an ad that questions why Chambliss has refused to testify about whether executives from Imperial Sugar — they owned the Savannah refinery that exploded in February and killed 14 people — asked him to help the company avoid blame for the incident. Chambliss has received campaign contributions from Imperial Sugar and browbeat a company whistleblower during legislative testimony.

A Chambliss spokeswoman told the Associated Press that U.S. Senate legal counsel told the incumbent Republican the U.S. Constitution prevents him from testifying.

But government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington says the senator has it wrong. And in a post on the group’s website, executive director Melanie Sloan delivers the senator a zinger.

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Signs! They make us think! They make us laugh! They’re great tools for pranks!

No outside signs are allowed at tomorrow’s Bill Clinton rally for U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin. And this afternoon you’ve got a chance to make some authorized ones at one of the campaign’s satellite offices in Fulton County.

Here are the details from the Martin HQ:

ATLANTA – This afternoon Jim Martin for Senate supporters will gather at one of the Democratic Party’s Campaign For Change Offices located in Fulton County for a sign-making party in preparation for the Bill Clinton rally. Afterwards, supporters will phone bank to get out the vote for Jim Martin. Martin will work with President-elect Barack Obama to fix the economy and cut taxes for middle class families in Georgia.

WHO: Jim Martin for Senate supporters
WHAT: Host sign-making party and phone bank
WHERE: Fulton County
Morris Brown Office
643 Martin Luther King Drive Atlanta, GA 30309
WHEN: 4:30 PM, Tuesday, November 18, 2008

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Infowizard Jim Galloway at the AJC’s Political Insider brings word that Judy Woodruff of PBS’ “The News Hour With Jim Lehrer” will moderate Sunday’s U.S. Senate debate between incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democratic nominee Jim Martin.

One problem: Neither candidate has confirmed they’ll participate.

The details:

Right now, plans call for the debate to be taped at GPTV studios on Sunday afternoon, then aired at 7 p.m. A C-SPAN broadcast would come sometime afterwards, Strauss said.

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Even though Wednesday’s Bill Clinton rally for U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin at Clark Atlanta University is free, organizers urge those who are interested in attending to pick up a ticket at Metro Atlanta campaign offices. Here are details:

Tickets to Clinton rally available at Campaign for Change offices

ATLANTA – Tickets to Wednesday’s “America is Back” rally with Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin and President Bill Clinton are now available at six Campaign for Change offices in metro Atlanta. The rally is to be held at Clark Atlanta University’s Vivian W. Henderson Gymnasium. Doors open at 4:00 pm and the program begins at 4:30 pm.

The event is free and open to the public, but obtaining tickets beforehand is strongly recommended. Tickets are available at the following locations:

DeKalb County
2752 E. Ponce De Leon
Suite G
Decatur, GA 30030

Clayton County
2745 Mount Zion Road
Jonesboro, GA 30206

Fulton County
Morris Brown Office
643 Martin Luther King Drive
Atlanta, GA 30309

Fulton County
1020 Woodstock Road
Suite 2108
Roswell, GA 30075

Cobb County
1200 Cobb Parkway N.
Suite 700
Marietta, GA 30062

Gwinnett County
3245 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road
Suwanee, GA 30024

Those interested in attending may also RSVP here.

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From the Martin campaign:

EVENT DETAILS FOR BILL CLINTON RALLY FOR MARTIN AT CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY
Former President will tout Martin’s ability to work with President-Elect Obama to Fix the Economy, Change the Direction of the Country

UPDATED EVENT DETAILS:

LOCATION:
Clark Atlanta University
Vivian W. Henderson Gymnasium
650 Fair Street SW
Atlanta, GA

DOORS OPEN TO PUBLIC:
4:00 PM

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Former President Bill Clinton will visit Atlanta on Wednesday to rally for U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin.

From the Martin campaign:

Clinton and Martin will appear together to tout Martin’s ability to work with President-elect Barack Obama to fix the economy and change the direction of the economy for middle class Georgians. Clinton has been a strong supporter of Martin’s from the start, joining him in Georgia during the general election and now stumping for him in the runoff.

…

Additional details about the president’s visit to follow.

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Oh, Jesus. This just in from the Martin campaign:

We’re 25 days away from the December 2 runoff, and we at Jim Martin for Senate will be serving up a helpful heaping of failed Saxby Economics every day until then. Enjoy! Georgia sure hasn’t.

After the jump, view today’s delicious dish!

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No one really expected Georgia’s U.S. Senate race to be this tough, cost this much or last this long. Incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss started off with more money than God, favorable approval ratings, and a late-in-the-game Democratic challenger whose heart, critics said, seemed to be elsewhere. And the Libertarian nominee Allen Buckley? Puh-lease.

But then Wall Street had its meltdown and Congress threw it a gold-plated life preserver. Chambliss was among the 74 senators who voted for the bailout package in a move that angered a great number of conservatives — and royally pissed off Libertarians.

And according to results of Tuesday’s General Election, Buckley gobbled up more than 100,000 votes that arguably would’ve gone to Chambliss. Why do I think that? Buckley’s take for the night was 127,050 votes, or 3.4 percent of people who voted in the race. Libertarian Presidential nominee Bob Barr only snatched 28,583, or 0.7 percent. And everyone — including me — was wondering what impact the presidential race would have on contests farther down the ticket.

After the jump is a transcript of a chat I had nearly two months ago when I interviewed Tom Perdue, the political veteran who managed Chambliss’ campaign, for a story I wrote about the U.S. Senate race.

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U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin isn’t waiting for election workers to finish counting the ballots in Fulton County before he starts blanketing the airwaves.

And maybe this is just me, but I think he mentions Pres.-elect Barack Obama once or twice in there.

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Behold, Buckhead! On Election Night, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss hosted his campaign party at the Intercontinental Hotel in the posh enclave in North Atlanta. When not shaking hands or buying more drink tickets for the cash bar, party guests monitored election results on screens placed around the ballroom. Notables included U.S. Reps. Lynn “Uppity” Westmoreland and Phil Gingrey, state lawmakers, and even DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones.

To view more photos of the night — and see how the state’s most well-connected Republicans looked when John McCain conceded to Barack Obama — check out the Sideshow.

(Photo by Thomas Wheatley)

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U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss says he’s not waiting for “several thousand” votes to be counted before he begins another political campaign — a potentially vigorous Dec. 2 runoff against Democratic nominee Jim Martin.

What may decide whether the incumbent Republican and Martin — a former state lawmaker who fought an uphill battle to get this far — do continue their campaigns are an undetermined number of votes that include provisional, absentee and military ballots. The results of those ballots, Chambliss said in a conference call today, may not be known until this weekend. The most recent General Election results show his support literally a fraction under the 50 percent he needed to win another six-year term in the U.S. Senate.

Chambliss said 4,000 votes would put him over the top and avoid a runoff. He adds that absentee ballots — of which he estimates 12,000 in the U.S. Senate race have yet to be counted — have traditionally played into the Republicans’ favor. Even with the surge in Democratic voters this election cycle, however, he remains optimistic.

Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat is among several that Democrats are eying to add to the party’s power in Congress. Chambliss said he expects well-publicized and support-generating visits to the state by Pres.-elect Barack Obama and other Democratic luminaries, as well as an influx of money from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

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Even with all votes for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat yet to be counted, Democratic nominee Jim Martin  told reporters Wednesday afternoon he and incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss are in a runoff.

“The runoff race begins right now,” Martin said, adding that he would not request a recount and instead let the numbers speak for themselves.

Earlier in the day, Chambliss told the AJC he’s not ready to concede to a runoff but that he’s in “full campaign mode.” As of this writing, Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel’s website shows 96 percent of precincts report the race 49.9-46.7 in Chambliss’ favor. Libertarian nominee Allen Buckley garnered 3.4 percent of the vote.

Martin said he’s been in touch with Barack Obama’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. If Chambliss’ lead remains below 50 percent, look for heavy campaigning from the President-elect and other familiar Democratic faces.

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FiveThirtyEight, one of the most entertaining and informative online resources for this Presidential election, posts an excellent Georgia-centric rundown on the state’s demographics and political dynamics — and how the combination of the two may determine who runs the country come Jan. 20.

From the site:

Since native son Jimmy Carter was on the ballot, Democrats have found Georgia tough sledding. But with African-American turnout soaring to unprecedented levels, Georgia may be a state where the public polling models are off, and indeed Barack Obama has put last minute advertising resources into the state in an effort to both go over 400 electoral votes as well as help a rising tide lift Jim Martin’s boat against Max Cleland-smearing incumbent Saxby Chambliss.

It’s a long read, but it says Georgia’s may be one of the closest races we’ll see on Nov. 4. Definitely worth checking out.

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U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss has created an online uproar because of comments he made to a North Georgia crowd.

As quoted by Politico.com:

The Republican is outwardly confident, but there’s urgency in his voice as he tours North Georgia, trying to boost turnout in his predominately white base: “The other folks are voting,” he bluntly tells supporters.

Now, read in this context — “predominately white base” followed by “other folks” — I can see how people might see the connection. But I seriously doubt this is what Chambliss implied. Then again, the Republican incumbent — who is in danger of facing a runoff or even losing his seat to Democratic nominee Jim Martin — is considered to be running one of the most fouled-up races of 2008.

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The polling organization says incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss leads Democratic nominee Jim Martin 48-43. It also says if Libertarian nominee Allen Buckley’s support remains consistent, a runoff is likely.

Says Rasmussen:

Senator Saxby Chambliss leads Democratic challenger Jim Martin by five percentage points in his bid for re-election in Georgia. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the race finds the Republican incumbent with 48% of the vote and Martin with 43%. Libertarian Party candidate Allen Buckley picks ups seven percent (7%) of the vote while two percent (2%) remain undecided.

But, under Georgia law, a candidate must win at least 50% of the vote or face a run-off election in December.

If Buckley’s support stays at current levels, it would be difficult for either Chambliss or Martin to win the majority needed to avoid a run-off. It is also possible, however, that some Buckley supporters may choose instead to vote for one of the major party candidates.

A week ago Chambliss was ahead by just two points, the closest the race has been all year and the highest level of support for Martin, whose campaign has spent roughly half-a-million dollars on attack ads against Chambliss over the past month. Just three weeks ago, Chambliss held a six-point lead.

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Which soft-spoken U.S. Senate candidate — who also served in the Georgia General Assembly — was spotted waiting in queue in Fulton County at 11:20 a.m. to cast his early ballot? We’re not naming any names, but trusted sources say this modern-day Atticus Finch doesn’t just want to kick the incumbent out of office — he also plans to honor his citizen’s duty so he can continue his hard-fought campaign.

Which leads us to wonder: What better time for the incumbent Republican — who we’ll just call Sugar Daddy — to launch a sneak attack against this challenger than when he’s standing two hours in the cold, like a noble soldier, slogging on the slow march toward freedom and a brighter life for all Americans? See him stand there, like a beacon of justice, like a — wait, what the hell am I writing? Jim Martin was seen standing in line to vote early with Joan, his wife, just now in Fulton County.

My inimitable colleague Scott Henry just returned from Fulton County’s early voting location and spotted Martin there. He says the line was two hours long.

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It’s not just the Democratic and Republican Senate campaign committees  shoveling money and resources into Georgia’s U.S. Senate race.

The Virginia-based Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life women’s organization with a well-connected advisory committee, has jumped into the tight race and sent a heartwarming mailer  that accuses Democratic challenger Jim Martin of campaigning against a ban on partial-birth abortions while he served in the General Assembly. Joy Yearout, the group’s policy director, says the mailer was sent to “identified social conservative voters statewide.” Yearout says the group has also contributed to and endorsed Deborah Honeycutt’s campaign in her race against incumbent Congressman David Scott for District 12.

There aren’t any graphic images on the mailer, but because of the issue’s sensitivity, I’ve posted photos of it after the jump.

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U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin is touring Georgia in a final push to convince undecided voters. Today, Martin and Public Service Commission Democratic nominee Jim Powell make several stops during the former state lawmaker’s “Road to Change” bus tour.

After the jump, the full list of stops.

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The Savannah Morning News reports U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss — the incumbent Republican who’s facing an unexpectedly tough race against Democratic challenger Jim Martin — has been ordered to provide evidence for lawsuits stemming from the Imperial Sugar refinery explosion that killed 14 workers earlier this year.

The action surfaced less than two weeks before the Nov. 4 election, which pits Chambliss in a tight race against Democrat Jim Martin.

Savannah attorney Mark Tate says Chambliss might be part of an Imperial “effort to shift responsibility” away from the company.

…

Tate says he thinks Imperial enlisted Chambliss to help “denigrate the reputation” and “bias the Chatham County jury pool” against Graham H. Graham, Imperial Sugar’s vice president for operations.

Graham said at a July Senate hearing that the company stymied his efforts to make the plants safer.

At the hearing, Chambliss, who in 2007 received $1,000 from Imperial’s political committee, badgered Graham and questioned the Imperial executive’s sincerity.

To read more about Chambliss rushing to Imperial Sugar’s defense, click here. To read CL’s coverage of Georgia’s U.S. Senate race, click here.

(Hat tip to Jim Galloway at Political Insider)

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Rasmussen reports U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ leads Democratic nominee Jim Martin by just two points.

From the polling organization:

The U.S. Senate race in Georgia has grown a whole lot closer over the past two weeks. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds GOP incumbent Saxby Chambliss leading Democratic challenger Jim Martin by just 47% to 45%.

This is the closest the race has been all year and the highest level of support for Martin, whose campaign has spent roughly half-a-million dollars on attack ads against Chambliss over the past month. Just two weeks ago, Chambliss held a six-point lead.

Libertarian Party candidate Allen Buckley earns one percent (1%) of the vote in the latest poll.

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A recent Democracy Corps poll focused on Georgia shows a slight 46-44 margin for John McCain over Barack Obama and a 48-44 margin for U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss over Democratic challenger Jim Martin.

But it was a question about the 2010 Governor’s race that caught my eye:

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Now that pollsters are saying U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss is running the risk of losing his job, attacks are flying left and right in the race for his seat.

Once Chambliss started to feel vulnerable, he finally began mentioning the name of his Democratic nominee, Jim Martin, who was happy to just ramp up the attacks on the incumbent. And once the polls showed the race as close as even, Democratic Party heavies started pouring money into the state. (Martin outraised Chambliss in the third quarter.) Even Libertarian Party nominee Allen Buckley  is lobbing Molotov commercials at Chambliss’ camp. (I’d like to add Buckley to the list of people Martin needs to thank should he unseat Chambliss.)

Well, Martin’s got a new shame-on-you-Saxby spot that says while he pushed for legislation and facilities that helped Georgia children, the incumbent Republican’s just worked for Wall Street.

Check out CL’s 2008 Voter’s Guide and add your comments to races you care about. It continues to be updated, and on Oct. 21, come back to find a handy cheat-sheet to guide to the voting booth.

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Polls continue to show U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss with a tight race against Democratic nominee Jim Martin:

From SurveyUSA:

Four weeks ago, when SurveyUSA began tracking the Senate race in Georgia, Chambliss, who is running for his second term, led Martin by 17 points. Two weeks ago, before the candidates debated, Chambliss led by 2. Today, in polling conducted entirely after the 10/09/08 debate which included all three candidates, little has changed.

18% of Georgia voters say they have already voted; among them, Martin leads by 4 points; among those likely voters who have not yet voted, Chambliss leads by 4. Votes are counted in 22 days; any outcome is possible.

(Hat tip to Andre Walker at Georgia Politics Unfiltered)

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The telephone poll of 531 likely voters shows the U.S. Senate race as dead even. Results are here. (Warning: Word document)

Chambliss 45%
Martin        45%
Other          2%
Undecided  8%

This makes three polls in the last two weeks that call it extremely close. A recent Rasmussen poll shows Democrat nominee Martin trailing incumbent Republican Chambliss by six points.

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Last night’s U.S. Senate Debate in Perry, Ga. sounds like it was a helluva time. Anger similar to that reported elsewhere was present.

From the Associated Press’ Shannon McCaffrey’s telling of events:

Chambliss supporters waved “Saxby” signs and offered up a sustained “boos” when Martin mentioned Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

“Bomb Obama,” one woman hollered.

From Jim Tharpe’s AJC report:

One of [Democrat nominee Jim] Martin’s answers was obliterated by jeers from [U.S. Sen. Saxby] Chambliss backers — most of them from middle Georgia — when Martin alluded to U.S. Sen. Barack Obama being sworn in as president. Some audience members shouted, “No Bama!”

Also at the event were Bernita from BlogForDemocracy — she liveblogged the event — and the Macon Telegraph’s Travis Fain. Fain’s write-up of the debate can be viewed here. If there are any Chambliss supporters who attended or covered the event, leave your thoughts about the debate in the comments or send me a link to what you wrote about it.

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