The New Congressman From Georgia CD-10

I have not posted on Georgia's CD-10 Congressional election since the first set of voting was reported. Since then, we have had a run-off on Tuesday, July 17.

When the voting for the run-off was complete and the results came in, an exciting and unexpected upset appeared to have taken place. Republican State Senator Jim Whitehead was the heavy favorite going into the election, and even into the run-off. However, a candidate not even holding office turned out to be the winner. Physician Paul Broun Jr., a frequent candidate and also a Republican, stunned many by grabbing a 394-vote victory in the race. The final tally showed Broun with 23,529 votes, and Whitehead with 23,135. Both are considered conservatives. However, Broun looks to be more of a trusted conservative, rather than Whitehead, who was backed by the GOP establishment. It has been said that Broun may be like another Ron Paul, the Texas congressman, who often votes no on bills that are unconstitutional.

Broun was actually my second choice in this election, as I had endorsed Bill Greene, who lost badly in the first set of voting. Broun's election is exciting to me as I believe he will be a conservative leader in the House.

Georgia Secretary of State's Office voting returns
Congressman Paul Broun's official site
Broun's campaign site

Barrasso Is The New Senator From Wyoming

Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal appointed Republican State Senator John Barrasso to the vacant Senate seat once held by Craig Thomas who passed away earlier this month. He beat out two other candidates chosen by the state's Republican Party, former party state chairman and U.S. Department of Justice official Tom Sansonetti and former State Treasurer Cynthia Lummis. By state law, if a senator dies or some other event happens to him where he can no longer hold the seat, the party who last held the seat must send three names to the governor, who will then select one from the three. After making his choice, Freudenthal said, “There are many factors that went into this decision, and it was the sum of these factors that led me to this choice. While I don’t intend to indulge the speculation on why I made this decision, I will say that I hope I made the right choice.” His appointment is effective as of today.

I do not know a lot about Senator Barrasso, but I am hopeful that he will be a reliable conservative in Washington. I am concerned about his statements on "women's choice" in regards to abortion, but he is against federal funding of the ghastly act. He says he is in support of fair trade. He opposes "homosexual rights". He has also reportedly voted in favor of school prayer. The National Rifle Association also has shown support of him by giving him an "A" rating. “I believe in limited government, lower taxes, less spending, traditional family values, local control and a strong national defense,” is what he wrote on his written application to replace Senator Thomas.

Congratulations to the new Senator from Wyoming, and I look forward to watching to see if he is the reliable conservative in the same form as Senators Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Jim Bunning of Kentucky, and Jeff Sessions of Alabama.

New West article on today's appointment
Casper Star-Tribune
Los Angeles Times
CQPolitics.com
Washington Post

The full account from Senator Barrasso's first press conference as a U.S. Senator

On The Georgia CD-10 Race

There will be a runoff between Republicans Jim Whitehead and Paul Broun Jr. on July 17. The stronger of the Democrats, James Marlow, was in second place for most of the returns, but fell into third with the race called last Tuesday evening. I will say now that it was probably premature to lock the race up for Whitehead. In the runoff, I will say that Whitehead will likely win. However, seeing that Broun is the opponent and not Marlow, there might be a small chance Broun does win, but I doubt it. It will be a fun runoff to watch!

Update On Georgia CD-10

I'll probably make this the last update before the precincts-in number reaches about 96%. With 77% of precincts in, Whitehead certainly has this one locked up and the key thrown away. He has 39% of the vote, Marlow has 23%, and Broun has 22%. Greene now has under 3% of the vote. Most of the rest of the precincts are in Columbia County, where Whitehead should continue to get good results. To find out more about the new congressman who will replace Charlie Norwood, click here. He seems to be against amnesty for illegal aliens, in support of family values and has strong respect for human life, and it seems he will protect taxpayers. Congratulations to Congressman-elect Whitehead, and I hope and trust that he will be a reliable conservative who stands on principle.

A run-off election looks likely, but expect Whitehead to win that one pretty handily.

Whitehead represented District 24 in the Georgia State Senate. A special election was held today to decide who would take Whitehead's seat there. With 80% of precincts in, a winner can be declared in that race. William Jackson, a Republican, has 61% of the vote. Behind him is Scott Nichols, a Democrat, with 21 percent of the vote. In third is Brett McGuire, a Republican, with 15 percent, and in fourth is Lee Benedict, a Republican, with 4 percent. Congratulations to Jackson on a very good win. I hope he represents the people of Georgia well, and I hope he stands on principle as he does that.

Latest Update On Georgia CD-10 Special Election

I will now call this race for Republican Jim Whitehead. With 52% of precincts in, Whitehead leads with nearly 36% of the vote. Behind him is Marlow, a Democrat, with 24% of the vote. In third is Broun, a Republican, with 22% of the vote. All the others are also-rans, with the leader of that bunch with 6% of the vote. This blog's candidate, Republican Bill Greene still holds only 3% of the vote.

The district's most precinct-rich county, Columbia County, has not reported a precinct in yet, but it should go strongly to Whitehead when it reports. He represented this county in the Georgia State Senate. Another update coming in short order.

Update From GA CD-10

I won't post the latest vote returns for the top candidates in this post. However, I want to update that State Senator Jim Whitehead no longer has a commanding lead. With 24% of precincts in, Whitehead leads Broun by only a 30-27% margin. In third is Marlow with 24%. Greene has virtually no shot at getting back into this race. He still has less than 4% of the vote. Keep it tuned here for another update shortly.

The Latest From Georgia CD-10

16% OF PRECINCTS IN
State Senator Jim Whitehead (R) 30.5%
Former Yahoo! Marketing Executive James Marlow (D) 26.1%
Physician Paul Broun Jr. (R) 22.8%
Baptist Minister Denise Freeman (D) 7.6%

ALL OTHERS BELOW 5%

Political consultant Bill Greene 3.6%

Georgia CD-10: First Results In

With 4% of precincts reporting, State Senator Jim Whitehead is well ahead in polling. Whitehead has 712 votes, or almost 35% of the total. Coming in second is Republican Paul Broun Jr. with 593 votes, or 29%. In third is Democrat James Marlow, a former marketing executive for Yahoo, Inc., who has about 16% of the vote. Our candidate, Republican Bill Greene, doesn't seem to have this race. He hasn't even broken 5%. Keep it here for updates.

RESULTS FROM THE GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE OFFICE

POLLS CLOSED IN GEORGIA SPECIAL ELECTION

The polls have closed in the special election to replace the deceased Charlie Norwood in the U.S. House of Representatives. The election has been held in Georgia's tenth congressional district. Ten candidates are running in the traditionally Republican seat. That number includes six Republicans. The frontrunner is believed to be State Senator Jim Whitehead, who seems to be a conservative. The CONSERVATIVE STATESMAN has endorsed Republican Bill Greene in this race. Also on the ballot is the election to replace Jim Whitehead's seat in the Georgia State Senate. I plan to post updates on the results through the night. Keep it tuned here.

Replacing A Vacany In The U.S. Senate In Wyoming

At the heels of the passing last Monday of U.S Senator Craig Thomas of Wyoming, the state's governor will have to appoint a successor. Wyoming's appointment law is a different one. Governor Dave Freudenthal, a Democrat, will not likely be appointing from his own party. Wyoming law states that the party of the recently deceased seatholder should choose the candidates. Thus, Wyoming's Republican central committee will choose three names to submit to the Governor within two weeks of Mr. Thomas's passing. That leaves about a week. Afterward, the Governor will have five days to choose a name from that list to serve out the rest of the time until the special election next year.

Possible candidates are already being discussed. The frontrunner at this time seems to be State Representative Colin Simpson of Cody. State Senator John Barrasso of Casper is another name which comes up often. Another likely name is that of the former U.S. Attorney for Wyoming, Matthew Mead, who gave up that job on Wednesday. One possibility that keeps people talking is that of Lynne Cheney, the vice president's wife. Some other names floating around include: State Senator Grant Larson, Wyoming GOP Chairman Fred Parady, former State Treasurer Cynthia Loomis, and former U.S. Justice Department official Tom Sansonetti.

The Wyoming GOP has set up a news conference for Monday to update on the process.


Jackson Hole, Wyoming News on the appointment possibilities