In the midst of the sad news of the death of former Governor Carl Sanders, the wheels of government continued to turn.
One of the most popular political leaders in Georgia, Sen. Johnny Isakson announced that he will be seeking another term on the U.S. Senate sending a big message that his seat will not be available in 2016. While some articles have conjured up thoughts of a challenge from the right of his party to Isakson, the reality is that any potential threat to his re-election appears to be slim-to-none. Even many self-proclaimed “tea party” leaders are more excited about Sen. Isakson’s coming seniority and substantial clout in D.C. than in searching for differences they might have with his political style. InsiderAdvantage/Fox5’s Matt Towery notes “Johnny rates as a pretty strong conservative on most scorecards and groups like Club for Growth won’t likely waste their time fighting a losing battle against a popular Republican in Georgia in a year when the White House is on the line. As for the Democrats, that’s not in the cards.”
Meanwhile the GOP Senate Caucus met to elect officers for the next two years in what may well have been an early glimpse at two separate political wars that we will see in the coming years. Two potential opposing camps for governor four years from now, that of Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp, both scored points in the election process. The Lt. Governor saw his right hand man, President Pro Tem David Shafer (R-Duluth) re-elected to the body’s second highest position. But Kemp scored points with the election of his brother-in-law Bill Cowsert (R-Athens) to the position of Majority Leader. Cagle gained another mountain legislator with Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega) elected to the leadership team as Majority Whip.
The other coming political battle that showed its hand in Monday’s vote was that of business versus the so-called “social/religious right.” A bill is to be reintroduced this session touts itself as providing a vehicle for businesses and merchants to protect their religious freedom by choosing to not engage in activities that violate their owner’s religious views (think “Hobby Lobby”). But much of the state’s organized business community views it more like a giant selective discrimination/anti-Gay rights statement (think Cobb County anti-Gay resolution of Atlanta Olympic days). The business forces flexed their collective political muscle in several of the leadership races and won.
