My thought on Barnes entry & what effect it will have on other candidates.

Now that Roy is in the game, what will Thurbert Baker & DuBose Porter do. I said a couple months ago, the dems need to avoid a bitter primary fight in order to defeat the GOP in 2010. David Poythress is staying in the game. He already have a full campaign staff going right now, he has made numeroustrips all over the state & have picked up endorsements along the way.

This primary will not be easy for Barnes. He has a lot of work to do, especially with democratic groups such as the teacher's union, etc, & rural voters who voted against him in 2002. I wish Barnes all the luck in his run for governor, but as of right now the one person who will give Roy the hardest time is David Poythress. The polls may not show it right now but poythress is building a coalition of voters who will present a challenge for Barnes in the primary & may prove enough to carry poythress into the general election. Now I like Roy & he does have the name I.D. & money, but he has to connect with the grassroots like poythress is doing & black voters in order to have a chance.

This move may push Baker to either Lt. Governor or the U.S, Senate. Baker against Isakson is polling well against the incumbent who some deem as very popular in the state. If Baker goes to Lt. Governor, where that leaves Michael Thurmond? He either stays at Labor Commissioner or runs against Isakson in 2010, or run against Saxby Chambliss in 2014.

DuBose Porter has quietly gone about his business as well campaigning across the state as well. Porter is a critical part of all of this. Being from Rural Georgia, he already have the advanatage of appealing to rural voters who feel comfortable with him. I just don't see him staying in the primary against Barnes & Poythress. Money will be an issue for Porter. If Porter stays in, he in my opinion will not make it out of the primary. I think he should look at Agriculture Commissioner, Secretary of State, or State School Superintendent or possibly Lt. Governor. Porter is too valauble of an asset for the party to have sitting on the sidelines. I am very fond of porter, hailing from rural georgia myself, but I won't to see him win in the worst way. I could see him running for the U.S. Senate, but that probably doesn't interest him right now.

Tim Golden of Valdosta was mentioned as possible candidate for Lt. Governor as well. He brings a conservative democratic perspective to a ticket if he chooses to enter the race. I think he takes a pass on the No. 2 spot. The one person to keep an eye out for is Floyd Griffin, Jr. of Milledgeville. He was a State Senator, a 30 year veteran of the U.S. Army, a veteran of the Vietnam War & mayor of Milledgeville. He has the credentials & connections to make a run for the No. 2 spot if he so chooses. His tireless work for veterans would be a huge asset for him in a race against Casey Cagle (R), the incumbent. Having become the first Black candidate to win a senate district that is majority white in rural Georgia, he is a true trailblazer in Georgia Politics. He is not interested in running for the U.S Senate he said recently, but he is looking at other seats, but didn't say which one. But if Michael Thurmond goes to Lt. Governor, I see him going to Labor Commissioner. If Thurmond doesn't, I see him trying for Lt. Governor again. He ran for the spot back in 1998.