GA Legislature: Ten 2014 Races/Seats To Watch

(1)  HD 156 Greg Morris (R-Vidalia) vs Lee Burton (R-Vidalia)

Incumbent Greg Morris faces a serious challenge in the form of Lee Burton for HD 156. Morris first elected in 1998 as a Democrat switched parties to the GOP in 2005. Morris pre-filed legislation HB 702 to erect a Ten Commandments monument in place of the Thomas Watson statue that was removed last yr. Now although it seem like a good gesture on Morris, it all seems political with the sudden challenge of Conservative Lee Burton.

Burton, a former U.S. Navy Seal, Vice Chair of the Toombs Co Republican Party and member of the Georgia Tea Party already has the endorsement of influential GOP Grassroots activists Pat Tippett & Kay Godwin. Burton, a 1988 graduate of Vidalia High School is making his first run for office.

Morris who is vice chair of the Banking Committee advantage as a incumbent may help him in the upcoming Republican Primary, but Lee Burton is no slouch, plus having the support of Georgia Conservatives in Action will only help him in his bid to upend Morris who was a former Toombs Co Commissioner. No Democrat have yet announced for this seat.

(2) SD 22 Hardie Davis (D-Augusta)

Incumbent moderate State Senator Hardie Davis of Augusta is running for Mayor of Augusta in 2014, replacing the term-limited Deke Coperhaver. Expect multiple candidates to vie for the open Senate Seat that takes up much of Richmond County. Former State Senator J.B. Powell, Vietnam Veteran & 2002 Congressional candidate Chuck Pardue are possibilities for this seat.

(3) SD 18 Incumbent Cecil Staton (R-Macon), Spencer Price (R-Thomaston) & John Kennedy (R-Macon)

In 2012 Cecil Staton barely defeated Physician Spencer Price of Thomaston to return to the State Legislature in 2012. This time there will be a rematch, plus one with the entry of Macon Lawyer John F. Kennedy. Both Price and Kenendy are running to the right of Staton and it's likely that this race will go into a runoff. Staton is currently Majority Whip of the Senate. No Democrats have announced for this seat that includes Upson, Crawford, Peach, Monroe and portions of Bibb County.

(4) HD 12. Eddie Lumsden (R-Rome)

Lumsden defeated longtime Democratic Moderate & Educator Barbara Massey-Reece by 3% in 2012. With such a close margin of victory, expect democrats to make a run at this seat in 2014. The district includes Chatooga and Northern Floyd County.

(5) HD 105 Joyce Chandler (R-Grayson)

Chandler narrowly defeated Businessowner Renita Hamiton (D-Lawrenceville) a Conservative Democrat 51% to 48 in 2012.  HD 105 seat is your classic swing legislative seat. This seat will be atop of the Democrats list of seats they hope to pickup in 2014.

(6) HD 139 Patty Bentley D-Reynolds)

Bentley defeated Reynolds Foodliner VP Thomas Coogle, a Conservative Democrat in the Democratic Runoff 50% to 49%. The race also included Michael Dinkins who served as County Commissioner of Peach County. This seat includes Dooly, Macon, Taylor and Southern Peach County. Look for numerous candidates to jump into the race given the relative razor thin margin of victory by the Incumbent.

(7) HD 145 Rusty Kidd (I-Lake Sinclair)

Independent Rusty Kidd defeated Pharmaceutical Businessowner, U.S Navy Veteran and Radio Show Host Quentin Howell (D-Milledgeville), a Conservative Democrat the past two election cycles. This seat includes Baldwin and South Central Putnam County which includes Eatonton. Expect a republican to jump into this race and Howell may make a third run for the seat.

(8) HD 138 Michael Cheokas (R-Americus)

Cheokas who was another party switcher in 2010 narrowly defeated Marion County Commissioner Kevin Brown, a Moderate Democrat 50% to 49%. The newly drawn district includes Chattahoochee, Marion, Schley, and majority of Sumter County. Given the narrow margin of victory for Cheokas, expect Brown to make another attempt to unseat Cheokas.

(9) HD 148 Buddy Harden (R-Cordele) vs Randy Head (R-Hawkinsville)

Incumbent Buddy Harden will face a primary challenge from  Businessowner Randy Head who owns Grillmaster over in Perry. Head has a impressive background that will appeal to various interest of the district. Harden replaced longtime State Rep. Johnny Floyd who resigned after serving 17 yrs as State Rep. The district includes a bog portion of rural Houston Co, Pulaski, Wilcox and Crisp County

(10) SD 23 Jesse Stone (R-Waynesboro)

After Conservative Democrat J.B. Powell left this seat to run for Agriculture Commissioner, Stone who was mayor of Waynesboro, step forward and qualified for the seat...the sad part is the Democrats failed to recruit a challenger to put uo against Stone. Vietnam Veteran and Attorney Chuck Pardue mounted a successful drive to get on the ballot as a independent, but soon afterwards dropped out of the race due to a family related matter. ( His son was seriously wounded in Afghanistan and experienced serious trauma because of it). SD 23 includes Burke, Screven, Johnson, Jenkins, northern Emanuel County, Jefferson, Glascock, Warren, McDuffie, extreme southern portion of Columbia, tiny portion of northern and Richmond County. Expect Senate Democrats to do a much better job of recruiting a candidate to take on Stone.

Democratic Candidates who can WIN in November

63 Democrats in the House, 22 Democrats in the State Senate. That's it! About half of the legislative seats are unopposed this year in the state house & more than that in the State Senate.

Now its time to separate the contenders from the pretenders as far as democrats who can WIN in November:

1, Quentin T. Howell (D-Hardwick). Howell is trying for a second time to unseat Independent Rusty Kidd for HD 145, which covers Baldwin & southern Putnam County. Howell has been campaigning for this seat for well over a year, and has been building support since his 2010 loss. Howell, a Blue Dog Democrat is a businessman/entrepreneur, radio talk show host & veteran of the Navy. He has worked throughout the community in Milledgeville on numerous issues that affected the citizens.  Howell is by far the strongest candidate running as a democrat this year. 

2. Jana Hill (D-Clayton) Hill is making her first run for office against Republican Stephen Allison. Hill, a former educator is a strong advocate for public schools and economic development. Hill serves on the Boards of the Rabun Chamber of Commerce and Community Pantry and is a founding member of the Old School Community Garden. Recently, she was elected as a 2012 Georgia Delegate to the Democratic National Convention and she works with the Development Authority of Rabun County.

3. Renita Hamilton (D-Lawrenceville). This seat is definitely one democrats can win. Hamilton who ran for Lawrenceville City County in 2011 is taking on Joyce Chandler for HD 105. Hamilton, a pro-business, pro-family democrat has the vision, integrity, and real-life experience necessary to bring family-sustaining jobs and a healthier economic prosperity back to the district.  As the owner of a small business, she understands the difficulty of sustaining a viable small business & also understand the problems of entrepreneurs, investors and developers. 

4. Kevin T. Brown (D-Buena Vista) Brown is challenging Mike Cheokas who changed parties & now running as a republican this election cycle. Brown is a former U.S. Army Veteran, Director of the Marion County Family Connection & member of numerous boards thoughout the West Central Georgia Area. HD 138 is one of the few seat that democrats can flip to blue. It consist of Chattahoochee, Marion, Schley & Sumter County.

5. Dr Nelva Lee (D-McDonough) Lee, a native of Panama, moved to the US due to the Noriega Dictatorship.  Lee, a Conservative Democrat is the President and Founder of the MiTio Institute and the MiTio Foundation. The MiTio Institute is an Online Medical Interpreting and Translating Diploma Training Program. She has also served as a Mental Health Coordinator for the Department of Health and as Director of Patient Advocacy for the Grady Health System. And Chair of the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters. Lee main focus in her run for the State Senate is bringing attention on making the Small business industry in her district as robust and viable as possible and expand hiring incentives to make them S.T.E.M. (Science Technology Engineering Math) industry specific, among other things in her platform.

6. Mary Ann Whipple-Lue (D-Gordon) Lue is taking on James Epps of Dry Branch for HD 144 which now includes NW Laurens County & Bleckley County with Wilkinson, Twiggs & east Bibb County & Eastern Jones Co. Lue a former member of the Wilkinson County BOE is running on bringing more Industry to HD 144.  And being heavily involved in education, wants to fix Georgia's struggling Public Schools. Lue hails from the same hometown as did late State Rep. Ken Birdsong.

(Updated with Video) Baldwin County's Howell Visits Washington D.C.

Conservative Democrat & 2010 HD 141 Candidate Quentin T. Howell (D-Hardwick) was in Washington D.C. on Wednesday as part of a congressional delegation to meet the administration of President Obama as he talked about issues that are facing rural Georgia & voicing the concerns of everyday hardworking families. Howell asked citizens to submit questions to him to take to officials of the Obama Administration during this trip

Howell, a local Radio Host which broadcast across much of central Georgia & community activist says: "this is for Republicans, Democrats, Tea Party members, liberals and conservatives alike,” He goes on to say “Our community has been on life-support for a long time. It is going to take action across political lines and outside of our comfort zones to make us well again"



The Obama administration officials have met with rural leaders from states across the nation to find out information from the people.



Howell said the people in the group all share a passion for their communities.“The people who are going have been extremely active throughout their cities and counties,” he said. “Within the group from across the state, we will be part of a group hoping to narrow the focus on middle Georgia.”

Like much of Georgia, Baldwin County where Howell resides has been hit extremely hard by job losses over the past decade. Howell has made it his mission to turn the fortunes around in Baldwin County who job looses range from the Rheem Manufacturing Plant closing to the closing of two of its prisons to name a few.

Howell, who said he plans to focus on jobs, has taken part in administration discussions before, previously with members of the George W. Bush administration.

Howell ran for HD 141 last year getting 43% of the vote against Rusty Kidd (I). Not bad for a first time candidate. The odds are that he will make another run for HD 141 in 2012 against Kidd.

This is a great example of what a "PUBLIC SERVANT" is supposed to be. Only if we had more like Quentin T. Howell

Here they Come! The New Guard of Black Georgia Democrats

The ones that will have the ability to run statewide one day if he/she chooses to do so.

The old guard liberal black democrats like State Rep Tyrone Brooks, State Senator Robert Brown, State Senator Vincent Fort & others are likely, but slowly to be replaced with the likes of moderate/conservative black democrats like Quentin Howell (D-Milledgeville), Carl Camon (D-Ray City) both who ran for office back in 2010 (Howell for State Rep, Camon for governor).

And others like RJ Hadley (D-Conyers), who I view more as a moderate progressive, who is now Vice-Chairman of County Parties at the Georgia Democratic Party, was a candidate for the US Senate in 2010 was dissed by the Old Guard when he was starting his political career. Fenika Miller (D-Warner Robins), despite having a progressive streak is also a young moderate who ran for office as well in 2010.

Others like Shawn James, a conservative democrat from Clayton County, Freddy Grimsley, a centrist democrat from Albany, Kimberly Alexander, a centrist democrat from Douglas County, State Senator Hardie Davis (D-Augusta) is a prime example of a centrist oriented Black Democrat, are all part of the new guard that will in some shape or form will represent the new African-American Democrat in Georgia who will be more moderate or conservative on some key issues that will enable them to appeal to a more cross section of the population instead of just one group of people.

If the Old Guard is afraid to reach back and mentor the next generation that wants to be in this realm of electoral politics ... that younger generation is going to elbow them in the face, and they're going to find themselves on the sideline as the next generation takes their seats away.

Look at Quentin Howell (D-Milledgeville) for example: A conservative democrat, he is a entrepreneur, he is a successful Small Business Owner (Howell’s Medical Equipment & Supply) , did some time in the US Navy & who also hosts the largest radio talk show in Middle Georgia & is a Christian Conservative, someone who I think will win if he chooses to run again in 2012, preferably for the State Senate. (This just me talking, lol!!!). You see, this is the new face of Georgia Politics, the new guard of Black Democrats in this state.

The Old Guard, many of them grew during the MLK Generation. But too many of them, in my opinion have stopped reaching back to mentor the next generation. And their successors are desperately needed as role models for black youth who drop out of school and commit crimes at rates far above their proportion of the population.

It's time for new blood. Dems need fresh energy and fresh ideas. The day has come when black Democrats can win over white voters based on what they stand for and what they can accomplish. Be on the lookout for these up & coming democrats in Georgia Politics