Fact Sheet: Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin Fight for Georgia's U.S. Senate Seat
Current voter registration
- 5,598,425 (as of Oct. 1, 2008)
The 2008 Candidates
- Incumbent: Saxby Chambliss (Republican) ran unopposed in the primary.
- Challengers: Jim Martin (Democrat) won nomination with 60 percent of the vote in a runoff election against Vernon Jones.
- Allen Buckley (Libertarian) ran unopposed in the primary.
Other items on this year's ballot: U.S. president, U.S. House of Representatives (13 seats), public service commissioner, Georgia Senate, Georgia House of Representatives, State Supreme Court judgeships, State Appeals Court and Superior Court judgeships, district attorneys, and three constitutional amendments.
Fundraising and Spending
Saxby Chambliss (as of Oct. 15, 2008)
- Contributions and loans: $7,662,154
- Spent: $8,906,639
- Cash on hand: $836,008
Jim Martin (as of Sept. 30, 2008)
- Contributions and loans: $2,392,590
- Spent: $2,300,250
- Cash on hand: $92,339
Allen Buckley (as of October 15, 2008)
- Contributions and loans: $21,582
- Spent: $18,039
- Cash on hand: $5,583
Georgia Demographics
(as of 2007)
- Total population: 9,544,750
- Male: 49.2%
- Female: 50.8%
- Median age: 34.8
- White: 6,018,583 63.1%
- African-American: 2,917,936 30.6%
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 57,809 0.6%
- Asian: 290,517 3.0%
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 7,443 0.1%
- Some other race: 379,398 4.0%
- Two or more races: 118,600 1.2%
- Hispanic/Latino (of any race): 729,116 7.6%
*Total may not add up to 100 percent because of Census tracking methods.
2002 Senate Election
- Max Cleland (D) 931,857 45.9 %
- Saxby Chambliss (R) 1,071,153 52.8 %
- Sandy Thomas (L) 26,981 1.3 %
- Total votes: 2,029,216, an estimated 54 percent turnout.
Sources: Georgia Secretary of State Elections Division, Federal Election Commission, U.S. Census Bureau
3 Things You Didn't Know About Georgia Elections
1. Democratic challenger Jim Martin came in second to Vernon Jones in the July 15 primary election. Since neither received more than 50 percent of the vote—Jones received 40.4 percent, while Martin received 34.4 percent—there was a runoff election on August 5. Martin won with 60 percent of the vote.
2. As of October 30, 28 percent of registered voters in Georgia had already cast a ballot for the 2008 presidential election. This is the second presidential election in which Georgians have been able to cast their votes early. Early voting was first introduced to Georgia for 2003 municipal elections.
3. Buckley, the Libertarian candidate, ran against one of his current competitors, Martin, in the 2006 race for lieutenant governor. Both lost to Republican Casey Cagle.
Sources: Atlanta Journal - Constitution, Georgia League of Women Voters, Georgia Secretary of State
Reader Comments
Jim Martin & the Obama machine smearing Saxby
Martin and the Obama machine are being very dishonest in this race.
Martin & the Democrats are continuing to spread the lie that Saxby in some way defamed Cleland six years ago. It is not true. Read more, and view the actual ad, here:
http://www.timeswatch.org/articles/2008/20081030141731.aspx
Martin & his allies also downplay his very liberal record. For instance, ontheissues.org reports, on the abortion topic, only that he supports Roe v. Wade, and does not mention at all that he voted against banning the barbaric partial-birth abortion procedure.
The dishonesty in this campaign is rampant, but it is coming from the Democrats, not from Saxby Chambliss.
This race is critical. If the Democrats are not moderated by the need to get past a GOP filibuster to pass their most radical bills, you can kiss what's left of the most important protections in the Constitution goodbye. No more 10th Amendment, no more 2nd Amendment, no more Free Exercise Clause of the 1st Amendment. Adios to the most important parts of the Bill of Rights. That has been happening already, thanks to the liberal domination of the courts and the Democrats' existing control of Congress, but it is going to get worse, lots worse, under President Obama, and with a very lopsided Democrat majority in Congress.
You should worry about what the liberals might do to the economy, too. Obama and his Congressional allies are threatening to thumb their noses at the 31,000 scientists who have signed the petition against global warming hysteria and carbon caps. Martin, Obama, and nearly all the congressional Democrats are committed to this pseudo-scientific nonsense, and if they go through with it you could see Obama achieve what FDR managed: turning a 2-3 year cyclical recession into a 10-15 year catastrophic depression.
The country is going to move severely to the Left, and the Constitution & economy are going to suffer, regardless of how this race comes out, but Chambliss' reelection would slow the rot. If the Minnesota Democrats steal Coleman's seat for Al Franken, as seems likely, then either Jim Martin or Olympia Snow (a Republican in name only, who generally votes with the Democrats) gives the Democrats 60 votes to get past any Republican filibuster attempt. If not, then Martin plus Snow are needed to get 'em to 60.
As Steven VanNuys notes, "one party having virtually total control over the government is a breeding ground for corruption and grave mismanagement." That's what a vote for Jim Martin is really a vote for.
As Walter Cronkite used to say, "it ought to scare you to death."
Dave Burton
End the illegal alien invasion
Jim Martin is part of the Obama-La Raza amnesty bandwagon. NO JIM MARTIN!!!
Disgust
The old saw "If you sling enough dirt against the wall, some of it will stick" seems to be the paradigm for this runoff. I pray that when all is said and done there is enough disinfectant in the state of GA to clean up the mess.
The half truths and distortions coming from the campaigns and the national senatorial election committees makes it amazing that anyone will vote for either candidate.
If you believe the ads (and sadly, evidence shows they work) it seems we have a choice between the lesser of two evil and self-serving candidates, bent on stealing your money.
I don't believe that's the case. But by allowing their 'handlers' and 'friends' to paint the other guy so profoundly negatively I am afraid the foundation of trust that is essential for our representative government to work will suffer one more blow.
Cynicism will be the only victor in this contest. The people of Georgia will be the losers.
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