Charlotte B. Teagle / AJC
UGA's Vince and Barbara Dooley at their lake home.
Posted on 05/12/2002 12:47:30 PM PDT by CFW
She wants to bring area values to D.C.
Barbara Dooley will run as a Republican for the new 12th District Congressional seat, she confirmed Saturday.
''I would like to serve the district in order to bring the values we have in our area to Washington,'' she said.
Dooley had said earlier in the week that she was ''very interested'' in running as a Republican for the seat, but delayed a decision as she consulted with friends, family and local, state and national Republican leaders.
She made up her mind to run Friday, said Dooley, an Athens radio talk show host and wife of University of Georgia Athletic Director Vince Dooley.
Dooley said she would make a formal announcement ''in a couple of weeks.''
Education, tax cuts, prescription drugs and a strong national defense will be the main themes of her campaign, she said.
''Every child in Georgia deserves a world-class education,'' said Dooley, who called for smaller class sizes and more parental involvement.
On prescription drugs, she said senior citizens should not have to choose between buying the gasoline to visit their grandchildren or buying high-priced prescription drugs.
On taxes, she said, ''We are overtaxed. Hopefully we can make the Bush tax cut permanent, including the elimination of the death tax.''
And on national defense, ''We must stand with President Bush,'' she said. ''We need a military second to none, and I think we realize that after Sept. 11.''
Dooley faces an uphill battle in the 12th District, which political analysts believe will elect a Democrat in November.
The lines for the new district were created by the Democratic-majority Georgia state Legislature last year as they drew up new congressional districts for Georgia following the 2000 census.
Georgia, one of the nation's fastest-growing states during the 1990s, will have 13 congressional seats in the next Congress, up from 11 now.
And because of the new district lines, the balance of power in the state will shift markedly, predicts University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock. There are now eight Republican Congressmen from Georgia and three Democrats, but after this fall's elections, there will be seven Democrats and six Republicans, Bullock predicts.
The 12th District stretches from Athens south and east to take in part of Savannah. Along the way, it jogs slightly to also take in part of Augusta.
In the 2000 election, Bullock said, more than 55 percent of the voters in what is now the 12th District voted for Democrat Al Gore, although George W. Bush carried the statewide presidential vote by about 300,000 votes.
This will be Dooley's second try at winning elective office.
In 1991, she ran as a Democrat for Athens' 89th District state House seat, but lost in the primary to Louise McBee, who went on to win the general election and has been re-elected five times since.
But Dooley's conservative beliefs now fit in more with the Republican Party than the Democrats, who have ''moved too far to the left for me,'' she said earlier this week.
Dooley will face at least one other candidate in the Republican primary -- Woodrow Lovett, a Burke County farmer. Another Republican candidate, Cleve Mobley, dropped out last week.
Nine Democratic candidates have tossed their hats into the ring, including Bogart resident Janice Mathis and Athens resident Robert D. Finch.
Mathis to explore 12th District run
Bogart resident Janice Mathis, general counsel to the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, gets a hug Friday from Thomas Oglesby, vice president of the local NAACP chapter, at Wilson's Soul Food in downtown Athens. Mathis was at the popular restaurant to announce the formation of an exploratory committee as she weighs a run for the new 12th District congressional seat.
With the renowned buffet line at Wilson's Soul Food as a backdrop, Bogart resident Janice Mathis expressed her interest in the new congressional district that stretches from Athens to Savannah.
Mathis, general counsel to the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition -- founded by Jesse Jackson to promote social, racial and economic equality around the world -- announced the formation of an exploratory committee to decide whether she should run in the new 12th Congressional District.
''We will look at whether or not the candidacy makes sense for Athens, first, and for the rest of the 12th District,'' she said, noting that she will make a decision before qualifying begins in June.
The district won approval from a three-judge federal panel on Friday.
Mathis, who would run as a Democrat, said the exploratory committee will evaluate the support it can attract throughout the district, her ability to attract campaign funds and how her goals coincide with those of voters in the district.
The issues on which Mathis will focus include economic development and the creation of jobs, affordable health care, education, containing urban sprawl, assuring basic fairness in the criminal justice system, and promoting conservation and sustainable development.
Nearly 20 people showed up in support of Mathis, and Homer Wilson -- son of Wilson Soul Food's founder M.C. Wilson -- played the gracious host.
''This is the real soul food,'' said Wilson, speaking of the spread of fried chicken and mashed potatoes he offered to Mathis's supporters. ''It's all soul. I like very much to be a part of this (Mathis's announcement).'' Mathis has operated a general practice law firm, collected child support for the state of Georgia, helped run multiple political campaigns and is vice president of The Citizenship Education Fund which operates the Wall Street Project, the Peachtree Street Project in Atlanta and six other regional offices across the nation. The fund is a non-profit research and education organization associated with the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
Mathis's husband, Harry Johnson, grinned as he watched his wife speak.
''Well, it's going to take a lot of time, but she helped me raise two kids,'' he said.
Athens attorney Jay Cook, a member of Mathis's exploratory committee, told the crowd how fortunate they are to have her considering a political career. He said that she is a very good listener, and a true public servant.
''She's not seeking office to be a public servant. She has been one all her life,'' he said.
Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Alvin Sheats joined the lunchtime festivities and said, ''She's a warrior from way back. She's been in the trenches a long time.''
Others Democrats seeking the 12th District seat are Robert D. Finch of Athens, a former college administrator; Floyd Adams, Savannah mayor; Ben Allen, a state representative from Augusta; Savannah attorney Tony Center; Augusta attorney Chuck Pardue; Merwyn Scott, chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney; Marc Smith, Augusta teacher and community activist, and Charles Walker Jr. of Augusta, son of state Senate Majority Leader Charles Walker.
Republicans seeking the seat are Cleve Mobley and Woodrow Lovett, both Burke County farmers. Qualifying for the position is set for June 19-21.
Also, doesn't crazy Cynthia McKinney have a very promising GOP opponent this time out?
This is an old article, but has the basic info. Go to Judge Denise Majette's site for more information on her positions.
January 24, 2002
DECATUR, Ga. - State Court Judge Denise Majette plans to give U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney her first Democratic primary challenge in six years. Judge Majette, 46, has resigned her seat on the DeKalb County bench effective Feb. 1. A formal announcement of her candidacy for the 4th District seat is expected after that. She has filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission allowing her to raise money for a campaign in the suburban Atlanta district. McKinney officials refused Tuesday to comment on Judge Majette's candidacy. * * *
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