Tin Riley to run for State Senate 47 District Seat

Tim Riley (D-Athens) will run for the open State Senate seat 47 being vacated by Ralph Hudgens who is running for Insurance Commissioner. Riley is the owner of Aloha Counseling Centers, offering drug and alcohol counseling services to patients in need. He is a resident of University Heights neighborhood in Athens-Clarke County.


Riley says the people of Georgia are ready for their representatives in the Georgia General Assembly to put an end to the petty infighting and get busy on addressing the challenges we face like poverty, education, water management and transportation. For too long, we've been promised results but only been given rhetoric. This time around the stakes are too high - a stagnant economy, a history of crippling drought, traffic congestion clogging metro Atlanta and an educational system that consistently fails to receive the necessary support to make adequate progress - and it's time we hold those responsible.

He will face either republican Snane Coley, Kelly Gary & Doug Bower in the General Election. Bobby Saxon, who got 40% of the vote against Paul Broun in 2008 was said to be looking at running for the 47th State Senate seat as well.

Two Democrats are to be said to be interested in State Senate seat 47

Democrats have harbored a grudge against Hudgens over his very conservative views and the changes he engineered to district lines that helped state Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, win in a landslide what should have been a very close race three years ago.

Recent Democratic candidates have been underfunded underdogs, but if the seat is open next year, the party might have a better chance, said Mac Rawson, a former chairman of the Clarke County Democratic Committee.

"It opens up an opportunity for someone," Rawson said "We'll just have to see what's going on and what kind of candidate we can find to fill that slot. When an open seat comes up, I'm sure we'll put a lot of resources into it."

Rawson ran against Hudgens in 2006, but said he's not interested in running again.

At least two Democrats, though, said they are interested.

Bobby Saxon, an Army reservist who ran for Congress last year, is serving a one-year tour of duty at the Department of Defense, but said he will think about running when the tour ends in January.

"I'm happily serving my country at the Pentagon," Saxon said. "I'm staying out of politics. When this assignment is up, I'll make a decision on whether to re-enter the political arena."

Tim Riley, Hudgens' opponent last year, said he is leaning toward taking another crack at it and will decide in a week or two.

"I haven't made a final decision yet," Riley said. "We're thinking about it strongly. I would say don't count me out."