Polls open for Georgia runoffs

ATLANTA - Georgia voters are returning to the polls today to decide one of two unresolved U.S. Senate races that Democrats need to win for a 60-seat majority impervious to GOP filibusters.

Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss faces Democrat Jim Martin in the runoff that caps a grueling campaign highlighted by visits from political heavyweights, gobs of advertising and hordes of volunteers.

In Minnesota, a recount that could take weeks is under way in the tight race between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken.

Chambliss, seeking a second term, fell short of crossing the 50 percent threshold in a three-way race against Martin and Libertarian candidate Allen Buckley in last month's contest. It's Georgia's first Senate runoff since 1992, when Democratic Sen. Wyche Fowler was upset by Republican Paul Coverdell.

Chambliss was elected to the Senate in 2002 when he succeeded in a longshot bid to oust Democratic Sen. Max Cleland. But his campaign infuriated Democrats with a TV ad that questioned Cleland's commitment to national security and flashed a photo of Osama bin Laden.

Martin has aligned himself with President-elect Barack Obama's message of change, and has vowed to provide economic relief for the middle class. Chambliss has played to his base by promising to be a firewall against a Democratic-dominated Washington getting a ``blank check.''

So far, early voting statistics are encouraging for the Chambliss camp. Of the nearly 500,000 early voters who returned to the polls, turnout among black voters is down and turnout among white males is up compared with advance voting before the general election.

White males normally are a solid Republican constituency in Georgia, while exit polls showed that Martin won the votes of nine of ten Georgia blacks who registered a preference.

Still, analysts say it's hard to tell how that may impact Tuesday's contest.
``It doesn't mean the overall turnout will be skewed,'' said Emory University political scientist Alan Abramowitz. ``It could just mean that there's much less incentive to early vote this time, because no one's expecting there to be long lines now.''

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel did not predict turnout for the contest, but the 1992 runoff attracted about 1.2 million voters roughly half the turnout in that year's general election.

Roughly 4 million people cast ballots in this year's general election, and both sides have since tried to keep voters' attention with a barrage of ads and stump appearances by political heavy-hitters.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore both stumped for Martin. President-elect Barack Obama recorded a radio ad for Martin and sent the campaign 100 field operatives to boost turnout. But he didn't campaign in the state, despite a request from Martin to do so.

Several ex-Republican presidential candidates have campaigned for Chambliss, including GOP nominee John McCain, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who unsuccessfully ran for vice president this year, campaigned for Chambliss at four raucous rallies that drew thousands of party faithful on the eve of the election.

Also on the statewide ballot are runoffs for seats on the state Public Service Commission and state Court of Appeals. There are also a number of local runoffs around the state, including one for a seat on the Lumpkin County Board of Education.

(AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this story.)

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On the Net:

Saxby Chambliss: www.saxby.org
Jim Martin: www.martinforsenate.com