Of the names that are currently being tossed about, Rep. Jim Marshall is our best bet to win the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Saxby Chambliss. Marshall is a conservative Democrat who won in a district where Bush polled at 61% in 2004. (In Georgia, Bush polled at 58%, so Georgia is actually "less" Republican than Marshall's district.) Sure, in the district, he had the advantage of incumbency, but his district had been re-drawn, and he was an unknown quantity in portions of the new district. Sure, it would be a risk for Marshall to run, and I can understand why House Democrats might he hesitant, but I think that it's worth the risk. Despite what my friend Jami Gaudet told Politico, there is no possibility that Jack Ellis could win a Democratic primary for that congressional seat. We can field a viable Democratic candidate, and frankly, if it came down to it, I'd trade a seat in the House for a Senate seat any day of the week.
The bottom line? If Marshall is inclined to run, I think he can win. He has a very smart, effective campaign staff. He can raise the money quickly. He has legislative experience, and most important, the experience of surviving three very hard-hitting campaigns. He is battle tested, both literally and politically. I hope he runs.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Marshall: Best Bet for Senate
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3 comments:
While in some races, I think that being a conservative Democrat would be a problem in the Democratic primary or in motivating Democratic voters in the general election, but I think that most Georgia Democrats would bite their lip and support Marshall if they thought he could win back this Senate seat. Marshall has demonstrated that he is able to both motivate Democrats to vote while straddling the middle and winning in a tough district.
My main complaint about candidates like Cox and Taylor were not that they were running to the right, but because they ran bad campaigns. Marshall has demonstrated the oppisote.
I agree with Marshall about half the time. That would be about 100% more often than I agree with Chambliss. Show me the pro-choice candidate who can win the seat, and I'm there with you. Also, remember that while Jim plays up his rural roots and military service, he is Princeton educated. I like the intellectual horsepower he brings to the table.
George Bush went to Yale.
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