Georgia Democrat in tailor-made district finds himself in fight

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Posted 7:22PM on Wednesday, October 30, 2002

SAVANNAH - Georgia's new 12th Congressional District was drawn for a Democrat, and some people claim it was drawn specifically for Charles ``Champ'' Walker Junior, the son of the powerful Senate majority leader. The district stretches 200 miles from Savannah to Athens. It's voting-age population is 39 percent black, and 54 percent of the presidential votes went to Al Gore in 2000, although George W- Bush carried Georgia easily. And in the middle is Augusta, Walker's hometown. Still, the 34-year-old businessman is on the defensive, as his opponent attacks his personal life, past arrests, even the timing of his child's birth. On paper, the race looked like a lost cause for Republicans. But Max Burns - a Sylvania college professor who barely won the primary over Barbara Dooley, wife of the former University of Georgia football coach - has proven to be a tough underdog. ``It's a lot closer than people thought it was going to be. A Democrat who didn't seem to have some liabilities would probably not be attracting this kind of outside interest," University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock said. But Burns found liabilities, even though Walker has never held public office. Addressing a small group of supporters on national security, Burns stands with loosened tie and rolled-up sleeves on a flatbed truck parked beside a dormant military fighter jet. The backdrop illustrates his two-pronged campaign - down-home folksy on one hand, carpet-bombing aggressive on the other. Add Burns-boosting fund-raisers by Vice President Dick Cheney and House Speaker Dennis Hastert and what was considered a lopsided race is now one of the most closely watched in the nation. Walker has compared himself to President Bush in that he's the son of a high-profile politician trying to stand on his own. He says his opponent's personal attacks belie a ``self-righteousness'' that often turns a blind eye to the facts. ``It's closer because of the lies. I feel more confident because I realize the name-calling, slandering my family and the top GOP leaders coming to fight against me shows that I'm stronger than ever,'' Walker said.