This is part 3 of a 3 part series. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.
Now understand this from your authors, we’ve done considerable study and research into the 2014 Senate race and the Democratic path to victory. The people we are about to name as “those who should consider running” we name based on that model.
Eventually (2020, or maybe 2018) a Democratic path for victory in Georgia will potentially look far different than it will in 2014. That being said, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fight to win in 2014.
As the demographics change, and assuming Democrats are able to build an infrastructure we currently lack, Democrats will win based on a model from the north. Which is, to win the metro areas by huge margins, lose the rural areas by huge margins, but overall capture 52 or more percent of the vote in regularity because of metro turn out efficiency.
But in 2014, that model will not work. We need someone that metro Democrats can get behind, but that can also pick off a couple of percent in rural Georgia, thus, these are our recommendations for who we should be looking at.
DUBOSE PORTER
If we had the choice to pick who would be the Democratic nominee for Senate in 2014, it would be DuBose Porter. Here’s why.
In 2014, what Democrats really need is someone with three qualities. One is an ability to fundraise. Two is someone with the ability to charm. Three is someone that recognizes the need to have a professional, seasoned campaign staff. We’ll address each of these, as it relates to DuBose, in turn.
DuBose Porter can raise money, and he is willing to sit down and do call time to bring it in. Democrats need a person with this ability, and the list of people with this quality is slim. DuBose knows everyone, and wouldn’t be afraid to call in some favors.
Next, we need a charmer. Whenever we see DuBose, he is wearing a massive smile, and is probably one of the most genuinely kind people alive. When we’re around him, we feel at ease, not uptight and tense like we might around many other politicians. He has that Middle Georgia quality that is sorely lacking in many elected officials. We’ve seen Democrats and Republicans in awe of him, and we truly do believe that his appeal is bipartisan. He’s a moderate Democrat, and one that is from well outside metro Atlanta. He is acceptable to metro voters. Whether or not we make any inroads into rural Georgia is a different story. While a Kasim Reed or Jason Carter would be dynamically fantastic candidates, neither of them have the appeal in Georgia’s more Republican strongholds. DuBose was elected in conservative Dublin for decades.
Finally, we should probably address one of DuBose’s shortfalls. In 2010, DuBose had a staff made up almost exclusively of Dubliners. They were certainly young and smart, but not nearly seasoned enough to properly run a statewide campaign, much less one against Roy Barnes. If DuBose is to run in 2014, he would be extremely well-advised to look at seasoned staff, people with experience in large campaigns. Sure this will cost money, but we have to assume that we will be going up against a war chest the size of Tom Price’s, which totals in the multi-millions.
We’ve been told DuBose is considering running, and we certainly hope he does. While we love people like Jason Carter, Kasim Reed, and Scott Holcomb, we do not believe any of them have the capability to do what DuBose can do- actually win a race statewide in 2014.
CONG. JOHN BARROW
Congressman Barrow should consider running. In 2014, the Republicans are bound to come after him with a candidate that can string two sentences together, and he’ll lack the top of the ticket push that 2012 gave him in Augusta. However; we’re told he’d only want to run if given a “clear path” — and well, there’s bound to be at least one loon qualify. So while we would like to see him run, for many of the same reasons we’d like to see DuBose Porter run, we need him to get in sooner rather than waiting on the hand engraved invitation.
That being said, however, we here still prefer DuBose.
FMR. LT. GOV. MARK TAYLOR / FMR. SEC. OF STATE CATHY COX
We are told that the former Lt. Governor and former Sec. of State have no interest in returning to politics, but we wish they’d reconsider. 2006 was a disaster of an election year for many reasons, one of which ended up being what seems to be the permanent retirement from politics of the two people who clashed for the Governor’s nomination that year.
They both have good appeal both in metro and outside of metro, the question is now, can either one of them ever put the 2006 disaster behind them and return to the fold?
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