Georgia has 3 candidates for Governor on the ballot. All three debated on October 12. The first poll since then, by InsiderAdvantage, and released on October 17, shows these results: Republican 48%, Democratic 28%, Libertarian 9%, undecided 15%.
The Libertarian Party has been the only third party on the ballot in Georgia gubernatorial races since 1942. Its previous best showing for Georgia governor was in 1998, when it got 3.43%.
Georgia law requires that candidates receive a majority of the vote, so if these results hold up, the state will be required to hold a run-off in December between the top two finishers. Ironically, until 2005, the law only required the winner to get 45%. The 2005 session of the legislature, controlled by Republicans, boosted the 45% up to 50%.
If I remember correctly, and sometimes I do, Georgia law required 50 percent in 1992, although I do not know when the law had become effective.
In 1992, a Libertarian drew enough votes to force the Democrat and the Republican into a runoff — and the pro-democracy, citizen-loving Democrat-controlled legislature immediately changed the law to allow a candidate with as little as 45 percent to be declared winner.
If the Libertarian again forces a runoff, there is again a chance the legislature, now controlled by Republicans, will again change the law.
However, most polls so far show incumbent Sonny Perdue pretty far ahead, and the Democrat Mark Taylor apparently losing ground, so it’s hard to prophesy the likely outcome.
It will be mighty interesting, though, if Mr. Hayes pulls enough to force a runoff — and it could be enough to get more respect and attention from both voters and “news” media.
By the way, surprisingly, the “news” media are, this year, giving Mr. Hayes more coverage than previously.
Georgia is now the only state with party primaries that has runoff general elections. This was enacted in reaction to the Democrat Lester Maddox’s election as governor in 1966. The Democratic-dominated legislature chose Maddox, despite his having finished 2nd in popular votes.
In the 1992 general election, Democratic Sen. Wyche Fowler led the Republican Paul Coverdell, 49% to 48%, but Coverdell won the runoff. The Democratic legislature thereafter lowered the threshold to 45%. As noted above, the Republican legislature raised it back to 50%-plus in 2005.
Michael Morrison says “a candidate with as little as 45 percent” can be elected. American history is full of examples of candidates being elected with less than 50%.
Furthermore, only eight states require 50%-plus to win a party primary, and Michael’s state of Tennessee is not one of them. Al Gore won his first Democratic primary race for Congress with 36%, while Bill Frist won the 1994 Republican primary for U. S. senator with 44%.
There’s also a possibility that Georgia will have a runoff general election for lieutenant governor this year.
Hey, it’s not “Michael’s state of Tennessee.”
If it were mine, I’d sell it — cheap!
I’m reminded of the Yankee general who said, in 1865, that if he owned Hell and he owned Texas, he’d live in Hell and rent out Texas.
There was a man recently who was struck by a semi on Shallowford Road in Chattanooga. When next he awoke, he looked around and asked, “Is this Heaven?”
A voice said, “No, it’s the Other Place.”
The poor man looked around some more and said, “Well, still, it’s some improvement.”
We now have a tv ad we are going to start running next week.to view go to http://www.crazyforliberty.com