"Kannapolis" - Michelle Nunn for U.S. Senate

Why Michelle Nunn should take a trip to the North Georgia Mountians & Soon.

Michelle Nunn is officially the Democratic nominee. Now the real work begins.....but she should take this time before the GOP runoff is held in July to take a....oh well, a quick trip to the North Georgia Mountians.

Nunn campaigns with supports in Randolph County

He rarely make appearances nowadays due to health reasons, but former Democratic Governor & Senator Zell Miller of Towns County, like former Senator Sam Nunn is still highly thought of throughout much of Georgia, especially in the rural areas from his time as Governor in which he created the Hope Scholarship among other things.

Now in his 80s, the fiery ex-governor name is still a valuable get for any politician looking to run for office here in Georgia. He has supported republicans like Doug Collins, now congressman for the 9th CD, he chaired the failed presidential campaign of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and he even endorsed Geore W. Bush in the 2004 presidential race. The last democrat he endorsed was Jack Lance in 2010 when Lance ran for HD 8 against Stephen Allison in which Lance fell short of victory.

Former Gov & Senator Zell Miller

Having said that, Michelle Nunn should take a trip to the North Georgia Mountains and pay Zell Miller a house call in hopes of securing a endorsement from the 82 year old former marine and Lt. Governor. Now you always hear that endorsements are not that effective, which is true, but certain endorsements carry weight. Go back to 2008 when the late Ted Kennedy endorsed Barack Obama for president of the United States, which was seen as key in Obama locking up the Democratic Nomination. An endorsement from Miller, even in today's political world still carries weight statewide and would be major for Michelle Nunn or any other democratic candidate running this year.

What would a potential endorsement from Miller mean to Nunn? It would help her tremendously with independents, moderates, seniors and disaffected democrats and it would signal to those voters that they can trust Nunn to represent Georgia and its interest in the U.S. Senate and that she's not cut from the same cloth as National Democrats.

But will Nunn even seek Miller's support given how the left wing of the Democratic Party feel about him? If I was her in her shoes I would because the Democratic Base will not come at the levels it did in 2012 or 2008, thus she'll need to make up ground in other areas and as I mentioned before, the base of the democratic party, which are made up of Obamacrats aren't the most reliable voters out there, so appealing to the Old Georgia will her key to victory.

Nunn, Carter & The Coattail Effect

 There's this thing in Politics called Coattails or "The Coattail Effect" & in this year's midterm elections here in Georgia, one wonders what kind of coattails will Gubernatorial candidate for Governor Jason Carter (D-Decatur), son of former Governor and President James E. ""Jimmy" Carter & U.S. Senate & eventual candidate Michelle Nunn (D-Atlanta), daughter of former State Rep & U.S. Senator Sam Nunn will have in this year's elections.

If you don't know what coattails are, its the power of a popular candidate to gather support for other candidates running on the same party ticket. Strong or winning candidates are said to have coattails when they drag candidates for lower office along with them to victory.

The reality is, when you run for office, the only person you better count on to get the job done is yourself. But of course a candidate cannot win any election without help from many others. All politics are local and local is where any election needs to start.

The Democratic Party can have the best candidates, be on the right side of the issues and put out poll changing marketing, however, without a wide-ranging and extensive ground game, they will come up short time and time again. The proof is in the pudding, look at the 2008 Senate race between Jim Martin and Saxby Chambliss. Martin clearly rode the coattails of Barack Obama and as a result he forced Chambliss into a runoff, but when the General Election was over and with no Barack Obama on tip of the ballot, Martin was exposed with a very weak or non-existant ground game needed thus lost in the runoff.

There doesn't need to be some sort of dramatic Soul Searching for Democrats, they just need to be clear, acknowledge the facts and look in the mirror. Elections are different each year, but the fundamentals of a very successful election never ever change. Democrats here in Georgia CANNOT RELY ON HOPE OR SCANDAL OR SOMEONE RESIGNING from the GOP side to win. Although it never hurts.

In Jason Carter & Michelle Nunn, the Democratic Party have two candidates who, depending how their perspective campaigns go could have those valuable coattails needed to pull weaker candidates across the 50% threshold. Both are moderate-minded democrats who can appeal & can pull votes from Independents, suburbanites, rural moderates & disaffected Conservative Democrats. In the case of Michelle Nunn who's making her first run for office, if voters, especially those in Rural Georgia see her in the same mold of her very popular father and former Senator, her coattails could reach as far down to the local level (Commissioner, State Legislative Seats). Jason Carter youth, enthusiasm, passion and his ability to talk and appeal to the Bluecollar working man and woman and his ability to persuade could also have the same effect. His relationship to former President Carter will hinder him with some voters who'll never vote for him because he's a democrat and he's related to President Carter, who is a favorite whipping boy for hardline republicans.

What I know is that coattails aren't just the result of a popular candidate convincing voters to support his or her platform, the most powerful coattail effects are caused by actually changing the composition of the electorate. When the candidate at the top of the ticket catches fire, members of that candidate's party are energized, invigorated. They work harder for the whole ticket and come out to vote for it in higher numbers.

If you're a candidate for congress here in Georgia, it would help if you attach yourself to either one of these candidates or both.

Party labels in my view serve poorly as shortcuts and both National Parties are not popular at the moment. Attaching your campaign to a presidential candidate would do more harm than good. But since gubernatorial candidates are well known inside the state and have a strong network, congressional candidates such as Amy Tavio can win votes by allying with a Carter or Nunn.

But in the end, coattails alone will not be enough for any democrat running for office here in Georgia this year and beyond. He or she must have a decent ground game as well. Just the coattails alone may get them 3-4% more of the vote, but if they want 50%, a ground game is essential.

Georgia U.S. Senate Candidate Gerald Beckum (D-Oglethorpe)... A Common-Sense Candidate for Senate

Will Marshall follow in Footsteps of Nunn, Russell, Talmadge in 2014?

Georgia have produced some of the finest politicians this country has ever seen. From Hoke Smith to Walter F George to Sam Nunn. All these men, as well were very influential in their time.

There's another person who could do the same: Jim Marshall

Jim Marshall can be found nowadays teaching at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at his alma mater of Princeton University, where he is a visiting professor after his defeat to Austin Scott in the 2010 midterm elections.

After his defeat questions arose as to whether or not Marshall will run again for elected office. He didn't close the door to a return to politics after his hometown gave him a reception thanking him for his service representing the 8th District.

Some of his ardent supporters have always said that Marshall's talents would best served in another capacity besides the U.S. House of Representatives. Marshall will have his pick of office to run for in 2014. There the governor's seat, where he has been mentioned as a potential candidate, then there's the US Senate.

If there's any place Marshall would fit in, it would be the US Senate. He will be 66 years old when Saxby Chambliss's seat is up for re-election. Marshall, a moderately conservative democrat is tailored made for the deliberate body that is the US Senate, with his Bi-Partisan tendencies to work across the isle. Marshall, a veteran of the Vietnam War his deep knowledge of the Military & Foreign Relations which will rival that of John McCain.

Georgia's two current senators Saxby Chambliss & Johhny Isakson are good men, but they don't have "IT" like Richard (R.B.) Russell, Jr who had "IT", or Walter F. George or Sam Nunn.

If you look at the possible 2014 field of democratic candidates, Jim Marshall is the top-tier candidate for the democrats. Other than Marshall, there's John Barrow potentially, as well as Rob Teilhet.

Democrats biggest problem in Georgia is their inability to win in rural Georgia, which not too long ago was dominated by Conservative democrats. As the party became more "Urban" based & more closely aligned with the National Democrats (which doesn't help in Georgia) the rural vote steadily moved towards the GOP. Marshall's ability to attract votes in small town rural Georgia would be a huge asset, as well as his appeal to like-minded republicans. But will the liberal base go all & support a Marshall candidacy if he were to make a run is the $64,000 question.

I for one would like to see Jim Marshall make one more run for office, that is for the US Senate

ABC Features Ga Labor Commisisoner & US Senate Candidate Mike Thurmond's Successful GeorgiaWork$ Initiative

Could something like this work at the National Level. I think so!

Bill Clinton Explains why he "Like Mike" Thurmond for U.S. Senate