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>> I see another non-Georgian pipes in. << <<

I see another Georgia "conservative" ignores the FACT that MOST of his FELLOW Georgians VOTED AGAINST Maddox, picking a conservative Republican instead (imagine that!)

Your state voted for Clinton in '92 as well, those southern Dems are just great guys, eh?

This is all beside the point. Until you understand the rural-urban conflict between Atlanta and suburbs and the "wool hat boys" in the rural parts of the state, you won't fully comprehend the dynamics of the '66 election. And you can't make straight comparisons between the Dem party then and the Dem party now, too many things have changed substantially.

The Atlanta newspapers and magazines mounted a concerted campaign against Maddox before he ever ran for governor - probably got into gear when he started running his "Pickrick Says" ads in the paper. And he did not have the support of the Democratic machine because he was an "outsider" to the political power structure. He ran as a true populist candidate. Those factors had a lot more to do with the outcome of the voting than mere party labels. Also, the write in vote for Ellis Arnall in the general election was substantial. (Just like another, more recent election in which the third-party vote meant that nobody got a majority). "Yellow-Dog Syndrome" took over when the vote went to the General Assembly.

But I think it was a blessing in disguise. Callaway would have been a wholly ineffectual governor - with nobody in the legislature to work with and no political contacts to speak of. And Maddox surprised everyone with his even-handed and reformist approach to governing, he did a very good job and did a lot of things that had needed doing for a long time.

MOST of his FELLOW Georgians VOTED AGAINST Maddox, picking a conservative Republican instead (imagine that!)

"Bo" Calloway was NO Goldwater conservative.
He was a rich, Country Club (Look up "Calloway Gardens") Rockefeller Republican who immediately left the state to schmooze in Aspen, never to return.

The only conservative in the race was Lester Maddox.
He made Zell Miller look like Bernie Sanders.

So are you a conservative.....
or just a political partisan who wants their rascals thrown out so you can put your rascals in?