A Talmadge runs again in Georgia _ but as a Republican

<p>The scion of one of Georgia's most famous political families has thrown his hat in the election arena _ but as a Republican.</p><p>Herman Talmadge III, 37, grandson of the late Democratic U.S. Sen. Herman Talmadge and great-grandson of four-time Gov. Eugene Talmadge, has qualified to run for Henry County Commission chairman. He said he wants to do something about the county's traffic woes.</p><p>"When I was a child, it took 45 minutes to get from McDonough to Atlanta," said Talmadge, a mortgage banker who lives near Hampton. "Now, it takes 45 minutes to get from McDonough to the highway. It doesn't have to be that way."</p><p>Four other men, including Republican County Commissioners Gary Freedman and Jason Harper, are also expected to file for the chairman's seat.</p><p>Eugene Talmadge was a suspender-snapping firebrand who parlayed Depression-era rural discontent into a political empire. When he died in 1946 before beginning his last term, his son Herman became embroiled in a three-way dispute over who should succeed to the office.</p><p>He was elected by the Legislature but forced to step down. He went on to be elected governor and served until 1955. Talmadge was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1956 and served until being defeated for re-election in 1980. He died in 2002.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x2866394)</p>