Republican Senate leaders join in push to derail Coleman

ATHENS - Leaders of the new Republican majority in the Senate joined the push Monday to cast doubt on whether Democrats can elect their nominee -- Representative Terry Coleman of Eastman -- as House speaker next year. <br> <br> Saying they were not sure who the next speaker will be, Senators Eric Johnson of Savannah and Tom Price of Roswell declared the Senate will not participate in pre-session budget hearings which Coleman proposed. <br> <br> They also say they have asked Republican Governor-elect Sonny Perdue to order state agency heads to boycott any hearing Coleman might convene until a speaker is chosen by vote of the full House on January 13. <br> <br> A Perdue spokesman, Nick Ayers, said the governor-elect ``feels it&#39;s a valid request and will absolutely uphold it.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Johnson is in line to become Senate president pro tem when Republicans begin exerting majority control next year. He says he does not want to waste time and money in hearing until it&#39;s clear who the speaker will be. <br> <br> Ordinarily, the man nominated by Democrats in November is elected speaker in January. But this year but the state&#39;s political landscape shifted dramatically when voters ousted Democratic Governor Barnes and chose Perdue to become the first Republican governor in more than 130 years. <br> <br> Perdue quickly convinced four Democratic senators to switch parties and put the Senate in Republican hands for the first time since Reconstruction.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/12/186796