The deadline for qualifying as a candidate in Georgia passed at noon on May 2nd, and three hats were tossed in to the ring for Georgia's 13th Congressional seat. The lone Republican is Deborah Honeycutt, who spent a not inconsiderable amount of money in 2006, only to garner 31% of the vote. Not terribly surprising, as the Democratic nominee for governor had his brains handed to him statewide, yet Mark Taylor carried both the Cobb and Clayton portion of the district. Though full district numbers are not available to me at the present time, Cobb and Clayton together make up about half of the 13th. Thus, it is reasonable to assume, especially given the favorable political winds blowing right now, that the district is in no danger of Repub takeover. http://www.cobbelections.org will have the Cobb numbers; a link to the Georgia SOS website is available from there.
The Democratic primary is between the incumbent, David Scott, and former state Senator Donzella James, the same primary matchup as in 2006. According to the Georgia SOS website, Scott won with 67% of the vote to James' 33%, but this is misleading. Overseas and military ballots were unfairly monopolized by the Scott camapign to pad his margin, and a lawsuit was filed. The actual district vote was 56-44 according to Sen. James, giving her a much stronger base from which to work.
While Donzella has been a consistent supporter of Barack Obama, and will be going to Denver as an Obama alternate, David Scott's position has been malleable. He endorsed Clinton early on, then switched to Obama, citing the overwhelming support Obama received in the GA primary in general, and the 13th District vote in particular. I do not fault Scott for representing the views of his constituents, however, the strong vote for Obama does indicate a strong change element in the Democratic electorate, one on which Sen. James is poised to capitalize.
http://www.beyonddelay.org chronicles very well the ethical lapses that have marred the incumbent's record. The paperwork presented on the site (which is hardly a right-wing operation) shows pretty damning evidence of camapign money being laundered through family owned businesses, namely Dayn-Mark. Add to this David Scott's vote for the Big Pharma subsidy a.k.a. Medicare Part D, the Big Oil subsidy a.k.a. the 2005 energy bill, and his near total silence on issues like the war and the shredding of constitutional liberties, and the record becomes clear. David Scott is not a progressive fighter worthy of this solidly Democratic district.
Donzella James served 10 years in the Georgia Senate, passing 270 bills aimed at helping the poor, children, families, and veterans. Her committment to service is ironclad, and her high ethical standards are unblemished. She is committed to ending the war in Iraq, expanding health care coverage, repealing NCLB, and restoring fiscal responsibility. Her postions and biography are available in much greater detail at
http://www.donzellajames4congress.com
The progressive community stepped up for Donna Edwards in MD-04 in a big way. GA-13 has shaped up as a very similar situation. Please look over her site, and if you see an opportunity here to make further improvements in the kind of Democrats we elect to Congress, support her at
http://www.actblue.com/page/bluegeorgian s
Thank you!
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