Gore To Campaign With Jim Martin In Georgia Runoff

Former Vice President Al Gore will campaign on behalf of Democrat Senate challenger Jim Martin this weekend, officials close to the race confirm to the Huffington Post.

Gore is set to hit the stump for Martin on Sunday, adding a new element of political firepower to a Democratic campaign that is focusing its energy on turning out a massive early vote. Former President Bill Clinton has already stumped in the state and will be returning soon.

Incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss, who failed to win a majority of the vote in the initial election, already is receiving help from several GOP stars, including Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and John McCain.

The question that remains is just how much President-elect Barack Obama will feel compelled to directly intervene in the race. The Illinois Democrat has dispatched staffers down to Georgia to help Martin's campaign retool for the runoff and raise funds. But there is no word at this time whether Obama will actually make a trip down south to campaign on Martin's behalf.

One official said that if Obama appears in person, it will likely be next Tuesday or Wednesday for the last days of early voting. Of course, if victory for Martin seems like a long shot, Obama may feel it is not worth investing the political capital in a losing cause.

Comments

[Fotios]

Here's a video of the al gore event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnyJj0SktT8

[ohmetoo]

http://www.martinforsenate.com/

I just sent an email to the above site and offered help.

[riafern]

will any one be willing to make calls from your home state on weekends atleast ...it woudl help
The brave ones can come and help canvassing ,as we need to GOTV ...anyone ready to do something besides commenting on Georgians ....this is a red state ...how about helping the dems who live here

[roshni]

How do we volunteer to do this? Do you have a link where I can sign up to phonebank from home to GA?

[Emily623]

Here's the link to sign up for phone banking:

http://www.martinforsenate.com/volunteer.html

Thank you for your help!

[ohmetoo]

Yes we need a link, I'd be willing to do some phone banking for you all.

[riafern]

PLS READ :
Today was 1st day -early voting ....I was called to phone bank ,usually I do about 2 hrs every day....when I went into my campaign office there were 2 out of state staffers and zero volunteers .....zero
I was so mad about it I took 250 names to call ....and took the papers home so I could make those calls today ....so many people do not know about a run off ...
Can anyone take this seriously & call local campaign offices & make calls from your own state ..common pls we can win this if we all try ....
In sept I was doing my state of Ga plus Ohio calls ....will someone help us out ...
What is the use of comments when we need more people to help ...how do you think it has come to a run off ,in a red state ....we worked too hard ...to loose now ...
anyones interested pls leave a comment and I can get you info of local offices ...pls pls help ...

[roshni]

Again, give me contact info and I will volunteer from PA.

[ohmetoo]

Me too I can call. What is the link for Martin's campaign please?

[riafern]

Pls understand ,no amount of money and star dems is going to change anything in Ga ,unless there is proper ground work ....need more volunteers ,so that we locals can spend more time canvassing etc ,we are so out numbered here ...when will anyone listen ...where is the team work when we need it
If we do not have more volunteers to do hard work like Ohio ,Florida ,Va etc ...then it is pointless doing anything in Ga ...The hatemongers outnumber us ...when will someone make Ga their business & lend us a helping hand .....
fewer election machines in heavy dem areas ,ballots thrown out ...something is fishy here .....

[riafern]

NOT FAIR ,all Georgians are not republicans ...we worked very hard for Obama ,if you can do nothing better than club all Georgians as one grp ,then the message of Barack Obam is wasted on you ..
Try and help like minded people do a tough job in Ga ....
It is a red state where us dems struggle to get to power ,Pls help us turn Ga blue ...
If you generalise then the hate mongers have already won ....help us ...donate ,make Ga an issue even after the run off ....we need more involvement so nobody can rig the elections ever again ..
Pls do not forget we need help not judgement ....

[lumber]

All you have to do to win down here is run on tax cuts - and Saxby has been all over the TV making this claim.

The people of Georgia proudly gave us 'w' twice - they deserve to have a senator who screws them.

[GeorgiamomforObama]

Excuse me all Georgians are not alike

Thank you!!

[roshni]

How is this helpful? Want to sign up to volunteer? I plan to do so.

[HoopyFrood]

McCain won GA by 5%. How many people do you suppose voted for Obama? My county and the surrounding counties were blue. Why do I deserve a monster like Chambliss? I spent the summer doing voter registration, I knocked on doors , I made monthly donations to the Obama campaign, I argued with friends, co-workers and relatives for Obama. I went to bed every night exhausted. I did all that one person can do for a candidate. I don't deserve Chambliss or you.

HoopyFrood

[Treasonous1]

More importantly I want to know if Lieberman will once again show up to campaing in Gergia. Last time he was for McCain and McCain is supporting Chamblis, and Lieberman did say a 60 seat majority for the Dems in congress will be dangerous. So given that Alaska looks to go dem, and they also have a good shoot at winning the recount in Min. bringing them to 59 (with lieberman, who we will have to count as a dem given he is still charing a couple of rather imortant committes), will he once again revert to the strenght of his convictions and join his long time friend in saving the country from the 60 seat Dem majority he warned would put the nation in danger just a couple of weeks ago?

And if he is unscucesful in that and the Democrats do win, will he leave the democratin caucus and resign his charimanships for the good of the nation? I am guessing he would leave the caucus, but keep the chairmanhip and we will have no way of taking it away from him because it would require a filibuster proof vote in order to do that LOL! But more importantly whether he caucuses with the Dems or Repoblicans he is still the same man and will set the same agenda for the senate with his roles as Chairman, which is where his 10% vote with the republicans on national security always comes from.

[roshni]

Gore plus the democratic volunteers should make a formidable team. Get out the vote people.

[chango369]

I just cast my early vote for Jim Martin today. Remember to get out and vote early ! ! !

[Whinger]

Al my boy, you need to stay away from the dinner table and get more exercise, that's free advice!

[theone718]

Who would you rather have campaigning for you? Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and John McCain or Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton(soon), and Barack Obama.

[ranchosx]

two of the GOPers don't believe in science

[Ranta]

Begich up 2374 votes in Alaska. Can't tell if all counted yet.

[Ranta]

8000 votes to count yet.

http://www.adn.com/elections/story/593530.html?pageNum=2&mi_pluck_action=page_nav#Comments_Container

[roshni]

Begich has won!

[mredder4]

Meanwhile, where's Obama?

I said it before (and had my comment deleted), but Obama is not going to show up because there's nothing in it for him. No result = no effort. He campaigned for people before his presidential run because it was as good for him as it was for the person he was supporting. He was the hot new thing back then, before he even set eyes on the Oval Office. Now that he's President-Elect? It's flip-offs to any of the little peons who come asking for his help.

Transitioning not withstanding, what else does he have to do? Isn't securing a stronger Democratic majority in the Senate seem like a good investment of time?

[Omidal]

GTFO

[Hawka]

He's already dispatched his own campaign advisers to help as is in Georgie, and excuse me if I don't think he's probably got one of the worst transition periods in the country trying to figure a way to deal with two wars, rebuild international relations, fix the economy, and select the people he needs to do it with.

[mredder4]

I'm very clear about my unawareness of how complicated it is to transition from one President to another, but come on. That's a lame excuse. There are hundreds of things that can all be done over the phone, or through email, etc, that could be accomplished at the same time as a trip or two to Georgia over the next few weeks.

The Dem challenger didn't win even with a huge black voter turnout, something that won't be repeated because Obama is not on the ballot. It's even more of a hurdle now that it was on Nov 4th.

Maybe that's why he won't go, because he's already written that race off.

[roshni]

You think he's twiddling his thumbs?

[Cakey4814]

He does advertise for Martin on Black radio and I"ve received a phonecall with Obama's voice urging me to vote for Martin; however, you must remember that Martin was not an Obama supporter; he openly supported Edwards in the general election and supposedly voted for Edwards during the Primaries although Edwards had dropped out. Obama has sent a team of workers to GA to help Martin and his ads are very emphatic about his support for Martin; that is admirable considering that Martin ignored Obama during his Primary with Chambliss as if he didn't want to be linked to him; so I ask..who's using who now?

[mredder4]

What's hopeful about yet another "I'll scratch your back, but only if you scratch mine" politician? That's the image that Obama is portraying, and supporters like you who bring up "Oh, well, Martin didn't support Obama in the primary, so that's why" certainly aren't helping to allay that image.

If that is his real reason, it's pathetic. Pure pathetic.

[PKSSK]

Wow, this is great news!!!!