Martin Blows By Jones in Run-Off

publication date: Aug 7, 2008

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author/source: Tim Altork and Jonathan Copsey / STAFF

By Tim Altork and Jonathan Copsey / STAFF

The gathered crowd at Jim Martin’s election headquarters the Park Tavern in midtown Atlanta celebrates after Martin earned the Democratic nomination on Tuesday.

As Democratic Senate nominee Jim Martin made his acceptance speech in midtown Atlanta on Tuesday night he quickly shifted from a mode of celebration to that of preparation for his upcoming battle with entrenched incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss.

“Of course our journey is not over,” he said. “The battle has only begun. We have a long, long way to go.”

To which one supporter in the crowd said to no one in particular, “Bring it on.”

That kind of fearless stance in the face of what appear to be incredibly long odds is easy to understand considering that six months ago, Martin wasn’t even in the race. And just three weeks before his decisive win in the run-off, Martin finished a distant second behind his opponent Vernon Jones in the July 15 primary.

If nothing else, the nomination of Martin showed that Jones had maximized his niche as a conservative, black evangelical Democrat from the heart of metro Atlanta. What appeared to be a resounding victory in July turned out to be the ceiling of his appeal. Meanwhile, Martin found a way to tap into the votes that had been scattered among the also-rans, bringing them almost dutifully into the fold of the party’s handpicked candidate.

Martin shakes hands with a well-wisher after addressing the crowd at his election headquarters Tuesday night.

The mood at Martin’s election night headquarters was understandably jovial from the time results began to trickle in around 7:30 p.m. Just over two hours later, Martin was on the stump amid what had become a raucous celebration.

Martin’s Obama Morph
As Martin spoke, if you closed your eyes and imagined a little more baritone in his voice you could have convinced yourself that perhaps it was Barack Obama speaking in his stead.

At various times throughout the night Martin expressed his message:

“Georgians want change.”

“We’re talking about change.”

“So tonight, all of us can spread the message that change is coming.”

But he wasn’t shy about overtly aligning himself with the Democratic presidential nominee.

“I think Georgia is a critical part of the nation and that Barack Obama recognizes that,” Martin said. “And he’ll come to Georgia and run an effective campaign. And I think we’ll run an effective campaign as well, side by side with Barack Obama.”

Jones vows future comeback.

Martin spent 18 years in the Georgia House of Representatives and lost to Casey Cagle in the 2006 race for Lieutenant Governor. He re-emerged in March and quickly surged to the Senate nomination on a message that his son, Frank, said is hitting the hearts of Georgians.

“The exciting thing is this is the year,” Frank Martin said. “This is the year where his message matters.”
And beyond “change,” just what is that message?

“Our message has been pretty simple,” Jim Martin said, “that the people want is somebody in Washington who will stand up for the working people. And that’s me.”

Martin Outgunned Financially
But Martin now needs dollars to help get that message out. Chambliss’s war chest has reportedly swollen to upwards of $7 million. While Martin has had to beat the streets since March and duke it out with Jones for two rounds, Chambliss has had the luxury of earning his party’s nomination unopposed.

“It’s not about money. That’s what the voters are saying. They want people who are genuine, who are talking about their issues, and we’re going to do that,” Martin said. “Saxby’s going to have to spend a lot of his money explaining why he’s been so much in support of the failed policies of the last eight years.”

“We’ve put together a campaign that’s proven that it can take on formidable opponents,” he said. Martin was gracious in victory and expressed a desire to reconnect with Jones and his voters.

“Vernon and I have been friends for a long time and we’ll still be friends,” he said. “He’s an honorable person, and we’ll reach out to him. Hopefully he’ll help me in my campaign.”

If Martin is as good at picking up his defeated opponents’ votes from the run-off as he was in the primary, then he’ll be well on his way to closing the gap on Chambliss.

Jones goes down swinging
Holding his campaign headquarters in an old mattress warehouse may seem like a mark of eccentricity, but Vernon Jones wore it like a badge of pride. Saving money and being fiscally responsible was more important than having lush surroundings and fancy parties.

Throughout the night his supporters, in their white and orange t-shirts, chatted and snacked as the numbers rolled in. Sadly, as the night continued, those numbers were distinctly sour. The music stopped playing sometime around 9 p.m.

Jones courted controversy his entire campaign. Running an “Atlanta First” campaign, the DeKalb County CEO seemed to have little interest in wooing voters outside of the beltway. To be sure, that campaign almost won him the seat, but almost doesn’t count for anything in a game decided by majority.
   
Last of the conservatives
He is a self-described “conservative Democrat.” Following the mantra of the likes of Sam Nunn and Zell Miller, he preached fiscal responsibility and scorned a reliance on government handouts. Jones was also unapologetic in committing that cardinal of liberal sins: voting Republican. He voted for George W. Bush in both the 2000 and 2004 elections, citing that he would vote for any candidate who treated Georgia with the respect it deserved. (Neither Al Gore in 2000 nor John Kerry in 2004 campaigned in Georgia, according to Jones). He has been a vocal supporter of Barack Obama in this year’s election.

Some would say that the very controversial nature of the campaign was what had given Jones the boost he needed to make it so far in the election process. Others would say it’s just a fluke and the system worked itself right in the end. Jones supporters failed to make any headway on their gains in the primary, actually losing by sizable margins in Dekalb and Fulton counties, the two biggest Jones strongholds. 

Liberals in control of party
Even in defeat, Jones would not stop swinging at the party that not only refused to endorse him, but actively fought him, the man who, until Martin joined the race, was the odds on winner of the Democratic ticket.

“The state Democratic Party should take heed of what I have been trying to tell them,” he said. “They have gotten out of touch with mainstream Georgians. These are the facts: the Democratic Party has lost both United States senate seats, they lost the governor’s office, the lieutenant governor’s office, the secretary of state office, the last Democratic public service commissioner, the house of representatives, the speaker of the house and the state senate.”

“I would have taken Saxby out. I’m a fighter,” said Jones. “I’m battle tested. Jim’s a very nice man, but it’s not about being nice, it’s about being tough and bringing the fight straight to him [Chambliss]. Saxby is a formidable candidate and he’s not going to lay down. But I think the race would have been much more competitive between me and Saxby.”

Reaction from Chambliss
Republican first term Senator Saxby Chambliss, enjoying a double digit lead over Martin in the most recent polls, congratulated Martin on his big win and said, “I congratulate Jim on a resounding victory. I look forward to a spirited campaign.”

The niceties done, Chambliss wasted no time in turning his cannons on Martin. “Nobody knows his positions on the economy. Jim Martin is a ‘me too’ guy. Whatever Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tells him to do, that is what he does.”

Schumer is the head of the Democratic National Senatorial Committee and is said to have hand picked Martin to run against Chambliss.

Chambliss added, “We intend to talk about the issues important to Georgia. Gas prices and our energy policy are key issues. No one knows where Martin stands on energy. His policies are not clear, other than that he is against offshore drilling.”

Chambliss vowed to make health care and the War in Iraq defining issues in the upcoming campaign. Chambliss said, “He [Martin] wants a government-run healthcare system where politicians and bureaucrats choose your doctor. I am just the opposite; I want a public-private partnership where people can choose their own physicians.”

On Iraq: “Martin wants an immediate troop pull-out and I don’t. I think it should be left up to the commanders on the ground.”

Chambliss said he sent a letter to the Martin campaign challenging him to a series of debates.

“Jim has a voting record at the state house (Ga.) and he will have to answer for some of his votes and prior positions.”