Georgia Congressional Campaign: Of Primary Importance

FIRST PERSON | LaGRANGE, Ga. -- In the spring, I attended a candidate forum just before the Georgia presidential primary. The room was packed and not enough chairs were available for everyone; many had to stand outside and listen in at the Saturday morning event. The enthusiasm was incredible.

I visited the same Troup County Republican Party on July 16, two weeks before the Georgia state primary. There couldn't have been a stronger contrast. There were many empty chairs. Between 35 and 40 people were there, and at least 10 were elected officials or part of a campaign. Many attendees seemed listless and dispirited, almost resigned to an Obama victory. A bad month or two for Mitt Romney will do that to a crowd, even out in favorable Republican territory in West Georgia, where no Democrat is even on ballot for most local races, including Congress.

The featured speaker was Congressman Lynn Westmoreland, who has been in office since 2004, winning by comfortable margins. Westmoreland is facing a primary challenge from two Republicans: businessman Chip Flanegan and Kent Kingsley, who works in real estate, served in the military, and is the former Commission Chair of Lamar County. Kingsley had attended a prior Troup County candidate forum.

Westmoreland had to be on his toes. Already, Oklahoma Congressman John Sullivan was defeated even though, like Westmoreland, he had been chosen the most conservative congressman by the National Journal and the American Conservative Union.

Representative Westmoreland barely mentioned his opponents. Instead, he focused upon the need for a balance between fiscal sanity and not driving the economy off a cliff during an election year, in order to elect more conservatives to Congress to enact tough spending cuts next year. (See the video at here and photos at here and here.) He also said that more Republicans would be needed in Congress to hold President Romney's feet to the fire.

After discussions about inflation, the Federal Reserve, the UN, a balanced budget, and California towns going bankrupt, the topic turned to voter registration. Romney campaign operatives in attendance reported vast gaps in voter registration, especially for evangelical Christians. One claimed that 40 percent of evangelical Christians weren't registered in Georgia. Westmoreland recounted a story how he lost a local race by 72 votes, even though every friend said they had voted for him. He had gone back to voter rolls, and found few of them showed up to vote at all.

Afterwards, Westmoreland chatted with the attendees, and we talked about a future visit to the college campus to speak with my students. It's where he applies the great touch Richard Fenno wrote about in his book "Homestyle."

You would think that a unenthusiastic bunch of conservatives could have used a little fiery talk and yelling, but there was none of that from Westmoreland. He almost sounded like House Speaker John Boehner on a Sunday talk show, though the congressman was critical of Boehner's compromise during the debt ceiling crisis. But maybe that's what the Republican nominees need. Already, many Americans think of Republicans as wild, crazy TEA Party types itching to shut down the government and shoot a congresswoman. Some calm, rational plans like support for Paul Ryan's bill, and toning down the rhetoric, might be just what the GOP needs. But they will need more people to turn out to hear the message next time, though.

John A. Tures is an associate professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Ga.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/georgia-congressional-campaign-primary-importance-154400392.html

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