Senate:  In 2004, Johnny Isakson, a man you might call a "politician's politician" for his propensity to compromise to get things done, breezed to election after Democrat-turned-Democratic-antagonist Zell Miller decided to retire.  Isakson's willingness to compromise hasn't always sat well with conservatives.  Among the legislation he had a hand in are the No Child Left Behind education bill, immigration reform and federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.  That's not a very strong conservative resume.  Still, he scores high with conservative special interest groups and has a lifetime 88.4 rating from the American Conservative Union as of the end of 2008.  His re-election bid will not be a sure thing, but the climate and the man should work together for a comfortable, albeit possibly close, victory.  It's a Mod GOP Hold to start, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it move to the strong category by Election Day.

Governor:  Eight years ago, in the Georgia GOP tidal wave election of 2002, Sonny Perdue beat incumbent Roy Barnes in perhaps the most unexpected upset of the year.  Four years later, the popular governor won re-election with almost 58% of the vote.  This year, term-limits bar him from another run and leave the race to succeed him wide-open.  Among the Democratic hopefuls is none other than Roy Barnes, himself.  Polls give him a decided advantage over the rest of the Democratic field.  On the GOP side, John Oxendine, Georgia's Insurance Commissioner, leads.  However, with Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel and U.S. Representative Nathan Deal running as well, this could be one of the more exciting primary races of the cycle.  Given all these headliners, it's impossible to get a good feel for who will eventually win in November.  I'll lean on the political climate and Georgia's recent track record - Obama's 2008 coattails notwithstanding - and call this a Weak GOP Hold for now.

After several cycles with Democrats Jim Marshall and John Barrow listed among vulnerable House members, this year they appear to be relatively safe bets to win another term in Districts 8 and 12, respectively.  In fact, I'm not even tracking Barrow's race this time.

The Georgia state page is where to find all the details.  Don't miss it!

Next stop: Hawaii



Filed under:  Georgia  GA Senate  GA Governor