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Paul Broun Will Seek Georgia Senate Seat Vacated by Retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss

Posted on | January 30, 2013 | 15 Comments

Andrew O’Shea of Viral Read broke the story last night: At an event in Gwinnett County, Republican Rep. Paul Broun announced he will seek Saxby Chambliss’s seat in 2014. Actually, Broun’s wife Niki announced the news, as Jim Galloway of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes.

There is expected to be a multi-candidate GOP primary for the Chambliss seat. Everyone expects Rep. Tom Price to run and, at last weekend’s National Review Institute Summit in D.C., one of my Georgia sources told me that Rep. Tom Graves is under heavy pressure to get in the race. Graves is said to be reluctant, but is a favorite of the Club for Growth and could get tacit backing from Gov. Nathan Deal, who hates Tom Price.

The Byzantine backroom maneuvering here will be interesting to watch: Broun might be seen as splitting the Christian conservative vote that would be essential to Price in the Senate primary, and that might leave Graves to mop up a lot of the economic conservative/Tea Party vote.

At least two other House Republicans, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland and Rep. Phil Gingrey , are said to be weighing Senate bids, as is Rep. Jack Kingston. So as many as five House members may get in the Senate primary, which could clear the way for lots of other Georgia Republicans, especially state legislators, to run for the vacated congressional seats, and thus produce a massive statewide scramble for offices.

Congratulations to my friends at Viral Read on their exclusive, which got them linked today at the Weekly Standard.

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Category: Election, Georgia, Senate

Comments

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady

    As a matter of accuracy you should always include Senator Chambliss’ first name: Taxby.

  • http://twitter.com/ThatChristyChic Christy Waters

    Lynn Westmoreland is my congressman and I would be thrilled to have him as my senator, but I’ll also be happy if he decides to remain my congressman.

  • Finrod Felagund

    I’ve got nothing against Paul Broun, but I’ll be voting for Tom Price in the primary.

  • http://opinion.ak4mc.us/ McGehee

    Ditto. In fact I think I like him better in a side of Congress not run by Harry Reid.

  • http://opinion.ak4mc.us/ McGehee

    It’s 18 months to the primary, so I’ll wait to see if there are any candidates who’d be worth supporting over the others.

  • http://twitter.com/ThePoliticalHat The Political Hat

    We need to ask every candidate what they think about abortion & rape in order to weed out the idiots who can’t keep their foot our of their mouth BEFORE the nominee is chosen…

  • http://wizbangblog.com/ Adjoran

    I will surprised if there are more than two congressmen who give up their seats to contest the primary. A few other candidates may get in, mainly to get their names better known for future races. Price has an established organization and fundraising operation with national connections.

    I love the Club for Growth’s goals, but lately in picking candidates they have become the “Club for Growth of Democratic Majorities.”

    Recall that Chambliss was forced to run for Senate or retire when the legislature redistricted him out of a seat – or rather into Kingston’s district, same thing – after the 2000 Census. So he ran against Max Cleland and send that piece of lying crap packing. Give him credit for that, at least.

  • JohnInMA

    Although my family and friends in GA are mixed, most seem to prefer Tom Price to run. And don’t Phil Gingrey and Paul Broun have an Akin/Mourdock problem based on something said in the past year in support of Akin’s bizarre ‘mind over womb’ statement? That might give the Dems an extra boost even though they haven’t got the same traction in the state as the GOP.

    On the Dem side, I heard from those friends also that there is buzz about Jimmy Carters’ grandson as well as a fresh ex-military Rep in the Atlanta area (Holcombe?) He is supposedly well liked for his across-the-aisle stance on a number of things. Same for Carter’s relative – he even lists being bi-partisan in his campaign literature I’m told.

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  • bittman

    is Carter’s grandson the same one that released the tape of Romney’s truthful, but ultimately deadly, 47% comment at the private dinner for donors?

  • http://opinion.ak4mc.us/ McGehee

    Being related to Jimmy Crater (sic) may be okay with some Georgia Democrats, but it’s poison with the general electorate.

  • JohnInMA

    If he’s also an elected office holder, then yes.

  • Tim

    I wish Chambliss could’ve been defeated in a primary. He embarrasses my state.

    Broun is a great conservative. He’s not only a religious conservative either, he wants to cut government, is pro-gun, and voted against Boehner. Really, him, Price, and Graves are all good choices, so inevitably the RINOs are going to recruit somebody out there. I don’t think they should all vacate because we need them and people like them there, we can’t risk Democrats picking up seats in Georgia, and I don’t want ill feelings being stirred between those three and their supporters. Westmoreland showed his true colors BIG TIME when he went along with Boehner’s purge.

  • Tim

    How is the Club For Growth helping the Democrats by supporting conservatives against big spending RINOs? RINOs lost in the last two elections.
    Cutting spending is their goal, and calling out politicians in both parties and supporting people who’ll change it helps that out, doesn’t give the Dems seats.

  • http://wizbangblog.com/ Adjoran

    So how much spending will all those Democrats who beat the CfG candidates cut?

    Or do you all deserve little “participation” medals for “trying”?

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