Candidates Busy Attracting Voters/Groups Raising Public Awareness

Sorry to condense everything into one giant entry. But I'm pushed for time. So maybe a blurb or two and a link will do for several topics that I think are important.

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First of all, the Jim Martin for Lt. Gov. campaign has relaunched its website. Take a gander and if you're inclined to do so, please make a donation of your time and /or money. Jim's running better in the polls than most Republicans expected. Which is why they're bringing in Sen. John McCain to help them raise money. We don't need a John McCain to win this race. We need for Jim to be on tv and radio, and out pounding the streets. And to do those things, we need your help.

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In the Georgia Ag Commissioner race, incumbent Tommy Irvin re-affirms his support for research and development of alternative fuels by recognizing "Innovators in Agrifuels."

Wayne Crenshaw of the Macon Telegraph reports that "Dennis Burnett, alternative fuels manager for Davis Oil of Perry, Linda Smyth, president and board chair of the Middle Georgia Clean Cities Coalition, and Mike Mead, chief of the advanced power technology office at Robins Air Force Base" received awards from Irvin.

"Others receiving the award were Andrea Hicks, Fort Benning's pollution-prevention program manager, and Greg Hopkins, president of U.S. Biofuels of Rome."

Congratulations and thank you to all those that are working hard to find solutions to our energy challenges.

While we're on the topic of energy, Margaret Newkirk of the AJC reports on Georgia Power's role in a federal conservation program. They are offering tips on how to save energy.

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Alan Riquelmy of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer has a nice article on the background of incumbent Georgia Supreme Court Justice Carol Hunstein. Justice Hunstein is running for re-election this year. And even though judicial posts are nonpartisan, she's being opposed by a candidate that openly touts himself as a Republican. He's also raising massive amounts of money to defeat one of our better Justices in the state of Georgia.

For more information on Justice Hunstein, please visit her website.

Amy Morton of Georgia Women Vote blogged about the challenges faced by Justice Hunstein and the potential threat posed in this race. Please give this your full attention.

While we're on the topic of expensive judicial races, Common Cause Georgia is asking for people to sign their petition to reform judicial elections.

From their website:


Help us Reform Judicial Elections in GeorgiaDuring Georgia's last judicial election cycle the amount of money raised by candidates for the State Supreme Court, Appellate Court and Superior Courts saw a sharp increase over previous years. Often the money contributed comes from Attorneys and Law Firms who may appear before these Judges in court.

This trend, while new to Georgia, has been building in other states for years. Common Cause believes we need to distinguish between the campaigns of governors, legislators and mayors, who are charged to "carry out the wishes of the electorate," and judges, who are sworn to fairly interpret the law. The increasing price tag of judicial elections is alarming, and we believe that Georgians need to find a better way.

In an effort to maintain the integrity of the state courts we are supporting a bill in the 2007 General Assembly that would provide a public financing mechanism for statewide judicial elections.

To help us reform this process sign our petition and let Georgia's elected officals know you support Judicial Election Reform.

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And finally, the League of Conservation Voters is asking for help in defeating anti-environmentalists in Congress.

From an email sent to LCV members:

How will your donation make an impact? Your gift of...

$35 (doubled = $70) will pay for 140 door hangers on the houses of swing voters
$50 (= $100) enables an LCV canvasser to talk to 150 swing voters
$75 (= $150) will send mailings to 240 voters
$100 (= $200) will pay for automated phone calls to 2,000 voters
$150 (= $300) will cover 6 hours of person-to-person calls from LCV staff and volunteers
$500 (= $1000) pays for 8 rental vans to drive volunteers to knock on doors
$1000 (= $2000) will sponsor two volunteer trainings for 60-80 LCV volunteers
We need to reach just a few thousand swing voters to turn the tide. Every voter we reach could be THE voter who determines the winner. That's why your donation today is so critical.

What we do over the next 33 days could tip the balance on critical issues like global warming and our dependence on oil. It's a lot of pressure. But it’s completely worth every hour that our staff and volunteers sacrifice.