In the Saxby Chambliss (R) vs. Jim Martin (D) Senate race in Georgia that Nick wrote about a week ago, the incumbent Chambliss garnered more votes but failed to reach the 50 percent threshold Georgia state law demands for victory. Thus, the state finds itself in a run-off. The third party candidate (a libertarian who took 3 percent) has been eliminated and voters will head to the polls again on December 2.
Martin has released his first ad in the new campaign and, as you can see, it’s heavy on Obama:
Josh Marshall‘s take:
The big question here is whether Martin can successfully remobilize Obama’s voters — note the ad’s central emphasis on Obama — by capitalizing on the Obama honeymoon. Martin could also benefit if Obama’s huge win has left conservatives so demoralized that they don’t bother coming out next time, thus changing the partisan makeup of the electorate in a state that went 52%-47% for McCain.
But there’s more here than trying to generate a second massive black turnout. Martin is also urging Georgia to send a Senator to Washington that will be inside the circles of power. The ad makes it very clear — Democrats will be running Washington. Georgia will be better served with a representative in the majority, as opposed to an increasingly marginalized and disorganized minority.
