The Political Vine

Rumors have it that one-term Congresswoman from the 4th Congressional District of Georgia, Denise Majette, will be entering the U.S. Senate race as a Democrat to replace retiring senator Zell Miller.

Last Saturday, the AJC reported that the former officeholder of the 4th Congressional District seat, Communist Cynthia "We Gonna Dance All Night" McKinney will be running again for the 4th. With Majette out of that primary, it is likely she will win the seat.

A professional statistician told the PV several months ago that if McKinney were to win a Majette-McKinney matchup in the primary, then the 4th could be won by a Republican in the General Election, due to the demographics of what happened when Majette beat McKinney in 2002. Perhaps if a sane (we repeat, SANE) Republican candidate runs a good race, there will be a possibility that the 4th could be won by the GOP in the General due to the fact that McKinney is regarded by lots of people on both sides of the aisle to be a major Fruit Loop. (Of course, to those members of the GOP who were diappointed that McKinney lost in 2002, thus short-circuiting fundraising opportunities by painting her as the evil dragon she is, well, you may get your wish back...in spa----...uhhh...guess we cannot use that term here.)

There was speculation that had there been a race between Majette and McKinney, then Republican U.S. Senate candidate Johnny Isakson would have had a tougher time in his primary. This reasoning was due to the fact that the Republican voters in the 4th would have likely been (again) driven to crossover the primary line to vote against McKinney in the Dem primary. As it stands now, all of Isakson's support in DeKalb will likely stay in the Republican primary.

PV Notes: As of this publishing time and date, we have not confirmed the rumor that AC/DC political consultant Mark Rountree (i.e., sometimes GOP, sometimes Democrat consultant, but who always claims to the news media he is only a GOP consultant) is seeking either Majette or McKinney as a client.

In the past, Rountree was paid $44,000 by DeKalb CEO Vernon "The Vermin" Jones for his 2000 race and is currently under suspicion for managing a few liberal judges' races for Fulton County Superior Court.

Note that there is nothing wrong with GOP consultants who work for Dems...it's just that when the case is Rountree, who has painted himself as being ONLY a GOP consultant, well, we just have to seek the truth on those claims, and expose them when we find them false.

More as this develops....

NOTE TO AOL SUBSCRIBERS

If you've been missing the PV for the past 2 months, our apologies. AOL had blocked the Vine's mail servers from delivery until we became "certified" for them. Now, you should be receiving all of our missives.

By the way, in case you missed our special report on the antics of what happened at the Cobb County GOP Convention earlier in March, click here to read our top story.

In Other News...

Marietta, GA - March 29, 2004 - Former Five-Term State Representative Mitchell Kaye (R-East Cobb), today announced his candidacy for the newly created State Senate District 32 seat. The district encompasses East Cobb county and parts of Fulton county including Sandy Springs. The seat was created last Thursday by Federal Judges who declared the Legislative Maps drawn by the Legislature as unconstitutional. There is no incumbent in the race.

Kaye was first elected to the House in 1993 and re-elected four times by increasing margins. He was in leadership positions serving as Deputy Republican Whip and as "Ranking Republican" on the important tax writing and cutting House Ways & Means Committee. Kaye first became known as the "Taxpayers' Friend" when he repealed the sales tax on used cars and refunded over $30 million dollars to 150,000 taxpayers statewide. A fiscal conservative, his legislative career focused on state finances, taxes, education and public safety. Some of Kaye's legislative successes included protecting the HOPE Scholarship, providing lethal injection to protect the viability of the death penalty, and providing for tax-deferred College Savings Plans to make higher education more accessible and affordable for all. Kaye also consistently supported the right of the people of Sandy Springs to incorporate as a City through a public referendum as sponsored by former Rep. Dorothy Felton and by Rep. Joe Wilkinson.

Kaye said "Sandy Spring and East Cobb need experienced and proven leadership in the Senate especially in this post 9/11 world. I will continue to focus on improving education, reducing taxes and the size of state government and in keeping our streets safe from violent criminals."

House Republican Leader Glenn Richardson (R-Cobb and Paulding) in endorsing Kaye, said "Mitchell would be a valuable asset to have back in the legislature. A keen mind and sharp wit. I enthusiastically endorse him for State Senate."

Former House Republican Leader Lynn Westmoreland (R-Sharpsburg) called Kaye "one of the sharpest financial and budgetary minds I've ever worked with. Mitchell was an effective and innovative legislator. I wholeheartedly endorse his election to the Senate."

Kaye holds a B.A. in Economics, an M.B.A. in Finance and is designated as a Chartered Financial Analyst. Kaye has lived in East Cobb for over 20 years; together with his wife Amy, they have three children, Jared (13), Adam (12) and Jenna Ruth (10). Kaye expects the campaign to be expensive and has already loaned his campaign $150,000.

For more information, call 770-998-6694 or Contact Mitchell here

Other possible contenders for State Senate 32 include State Representative Sharon Cooper, Will Hurst, and Judson "Scudson" Hill (for a refresher on who Hill is, read back to our 2003 story).

And, heck, Publisher and Editor of The Political Vine, Bill Simon, might just dive-in as well. For his first fundraiser, Simon hopes to raise money by offering $1000 a head attendees a chance to dunk him in a water tank by throwing balls at the bullseye (note, he plans on making his cage quite impervious to having a stray ball hit him directly).

(ATLANTA)--Republican Realtor Chuck Eaton has declared his candidacy for a newly-drawn state legislative seat in the north Atlanta area, House District 42C.

Eaton, 34, is a Realtor at Jenny Pruitt and Associates. He and his wife, Erika, are homeowners in the Buckhead area. Eaton is the President of the Buckhead Forest Civic Association.

"I am running for the legislature because it's time for fresh ideas and new energy to solve the serious budget problems we have in Fulton County and in the State of Georgia," said Eaton. "Homeowners need to have renewed faith that the city and state are managing our tax dollars wisely."

Chuck Eaton is also concerned about the late night crime and “cruising” problems we are having in Buckhead. Eaton said, “When the families of this district were desperately calling for help, our current liberal Democrat Representative, Nick Moraitakis, sponsored a bill (HB493) to allow for even later bar closing hours. It’s this type of out-of-touch, liberal leadership that needs to be changed.”

Eaton has been involved in Republican politics dating back to 1992 as a Deputy Campaign Manager for U.S. Congressman Phil Crane. He also served as Campaign Manager for Georgia Representative Jeff Brown in 1994 and 1996.

Chuck Eaton earned his undergraduate degree from University of Alabama. The Eatons are members of North Avenue Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.