Obama Dispatching Aides To Georgia Senate Race

Democratic officials confirm that Barack Obama is sending aides to help with the runoff senatorial campaign in Georgia, putting his post-election coattails to an immediate test.

Organizers who worked on behalf of the Illinois Democrat are heading to the Peach State to offer similar assistance to Jim Martin, the Democratic challenger who is facing a second-round contest against incumbent Saxby Chambliss after neither candidate received 50 percent of the initial vote.

The investment by Obama, confirmed by an official working on behalf of the Senate campaign, apparently includes "ground team" members as well as "online specialists and bloggers," and represents one of the earliest tests of the influence he can wield on the political landscape. A Daily Kos diarist first heard about the move from the Martin team.

It remains unclear whether Obama himself will appear in the state. His campaign put limited paid resources into Georgia during the general election, mainly during the waning weeks of the campaign, though Obama's registration efforts there were lauded for making the presidential contest in that state much closer than the historical norm.

Martin's race to replace Chambliss was even closer. The longtime Georgian Democrat finished with just under 47 percent of the vote to Chambliss' 49.8 percent. Because neither candidate was able to win a majority of the vote, the two will square off again on December 2.

While Martin will be assisted in the effort by the Obama campaign, Chambliss will be banking on GOP star-power to help propel him into office for a second term. Already it has been reported that Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and John McCain will be either making campaign stops on the Georgian's behalf or providing volunteers and aide.

Comments

[cadawa]

02:02 AM on 11/14/2008

Obama would be wise to deploy a voting technology specialist and insist on hand counted paper ballots. They're all Diebold, all the time. These machines were designed for cheating not for counting.
That's how Chambliss won not by insulting Max Cleland.

[Damaven]

06:20 PM on 11/12/2008

The Republican party needs to be deconstructed. Bush was in 2x with lies, cheating and stealing or taking away people's identities. Yes, do anything you can Democrats to win in any state.

[libladyohio]

04:44 PM on 11/12/2008

It's almost a 100% certainty there was election fraud involved in the 2002 race there, and it probably happened in the 2008 race as well. So, along with getting democratic star power to campaign there, the Obama team needs to lawyer up big time all over the state.

Keep the fraud to a minimum, unleash Bill, Hillary and Oprah and I like our chances.

[DeloresT]

06:06 PM on 11/11/2008

I am a Martin supporter. We have a number of problems here: (1) Once you are outside of metropolitan Atlanta (and Athens-UGA territory) many people are still fighting the civil war (2) Georgians.....especially blacks, do not return for run-off elections (3)the Secretary of state is a Republican and is the Katherine Harris of Ga. (4) DIEBOLD!!!!! The cheating has been going on since 2000

[lionsforlambs]

10:59 AM on 11/12/2008

I agree. This is not going to be an easy place to win.

[GAPeach99]

07:09 PM on 11/12/2008

Agreed. There's always HOPE, but this one is a truly steep climb.

BO needs to send some heavy hitters, (maybe, the Clintons, Biden, everybody...), send money, beef up the GOTV campaign and then PRAY!

[SPQR1052]

05:13 PM on 11/11/2008

Game on. Let's get information such as website, donate page link out about the Democrat running against him.

Also lets encourge the youth, minorities and ship in some of our brillant "door-knocking" canvassers from neighboring states to lend a hand with GOTV.

We need to continue people and extend our president-elects coattails deep into Georgia!

Let's male this happen.

[ThePeacemakers]

04:22 PM on 11/11/2008

An Obama visit to GA should be unnannounced until a few hours before the appearance on the same day.

[GaDove]

06:48 PM on 11/11/2008

Why? Obama coming a few days in advance with plenty of press would get people to take off work and vote. Why unannounced? That doesn't make sense. Plus Jim Marting needs to be on the stage with him.

[lionsforlambs]

11:01 AM on 11/12/2008

Yeah, there will not be a surprise visit for Obama to GA. I need to know like many others so that I can take time off work to go.

[GaDove]

03:13 PM on 11/11/2008

Thank goodness help is coming! Georgia needs to get rid of Saxby Chambliss. He was despicable to Max Cleland. I hope Max is asked to do an ad attacking Saxby for the dirty, filty campaign run against him. Saxby is just Bush with a MORE southern twang.

Martin needs major help, money, and most of all getting Obama supporters to go back to the polls one more time to fiinish the job - and vote Dem in Georgia! Maybe we get a Dem Governor next. Sonny No Can Do (Perdue) has been horrific. He's sold GA to the Chinese.

Please, please Moveon.org help us get Jim Martin into office in GA!!!! Get the vote out again on Dec 2 at the run off!

[unite4change]

03:11 PM on 11/11/2008

Come on Georgia, let's give President elect Obama a hand in getting Martin elected as the Senator from Georgia.

[barackobama4prez]

03:05 PM on 11/11/2008

O should hold a rally and get the dems ot the polls.

[AngryCitizen]

02:50 PM on 11/11/2008

Go President O, send in the troops! We need another dem senator!

[wrylass]

02:30 PM on 11/11/2008

Outstanding.

[RobHughey]

02:15 PM on 11/11/2008

Here in Georgia, the Republican party is all "hearts-afflutter" with the news that Palin, McCain and Huckabee are coming here to campaign. To say they are energized is a massive understatement.

To truly win this campaign, we need equally powerful Democratic allies. But we of course realize Obama's responsibility is to the nation and to the transition of power... but we could greatly benefit from Joe Biden or either of the Clintons to help us.

Either way, I just wanted to say "thanks" for all the supportive comments and out-of-state donations for Martin's campaign. We're going to put all of our energy to get this man elected. He is truly an honorable man. He's a conservative Democrat, but he has Progressive attitudes. He'd be ideal for all of Georgia, even is so many of our citizens are going to believe everything Palin et al are about to spew about him over the next two months.

Regardless, we're going to keep the mantra we have learned from our wonderful President Elect:

Yes We Can.

[oldfart1]

04:48 PM on 11/11/2008

Get real, how are you going to beat 49.8% going in?

[emcd]

02:11 PM on 11/11/2008

There is a word for what Chambliss did to Max Cleland in the 2002 campaign: SCURRILOUS!

If for no other reason, every "real" American should donate and/or support the ouster of the current Senator who is beneath contempt!

[Progress08]

02:40 PM on 11/11/2008

That's gonna be a campaign commercial running 24 hours a day.

[paulnn]

01:48 PM on 11/11/2008

Chambliss the ChickenHawk must go!!!

Payback for Max Cleland. A true American Hero

Donate! Donate!! Donate!!!

I'm in for $50.

[elbowroom]

02:13 PM on 11/11/2008

Woohoo!

I'll donate and I'll be voting in that run-off. My husband and sister in law might be driving voters to the polls, too.

Go Jim Martin!
http://www.martinforsenate.com/

[bbbear]

04:35 PM on 11/11/2008

Thanks for the link. I just now donated $50., "This one's for Max!

[edwarvir]

02:20 PM on 11/12/2008

paulnn where do you go to donate.?

[aalisa31]

12:48 PM on 11/11/2008

I live in Ga,.,... how can I help???? I asked alot of my friends and family not to vote for Saxby.. he has done nothing for Ga.. Looks like it paid off.. I will be active in this as well!

[SurrealPumpkin]

12:58 PM on 11/11/2008

Go to Martin's website http://www.martinforsenate.com/ and sign up to help.

[Tobiasism]

01:52 PM on 11/11/2008

Thank you for helping to defeat that creep Chambliss.