VALDOSTA — Saxby Chambliss may be headed for a runoff against Democratic candidate Jim Martin, a former state lawmaker who lost his bid for lieutenant governor in 2006. With Chambliss’ support at less than 50 percent and a third-party candidate polling 10 percent of the vote, the possibility of a runoff with Martin remains a cause for concern for the incumbent, according to Dr. James LaPlant, who headed the Center for Applied Research’s telephone survey at Valdosta State University.
Georgia is the only state in the union that requires a candidate to get 50 percent plus one of the vote, which means that if this senate seat must be decided by a runoff, voters will have to put up with another 28 days of campaigning before another vote can decide the outcome.
The position of Jack Kingston is equally precarious. Kingston’s support is exactly 50 percent with almost one in four registered voters undecided, according to the survey, making a runoff in Georgia’s First Congressional District with challenger Bill Gillespie a possibility. The tightness of these races involving Republican incumbents is being attributed to a combination of factors, including high voter turnout by Democrats and other Obama supporters, a “throw the bums out” reaction by many voters who feel the country is on the wrong track and third party-candidates who are attracting a significant percentage of votes from independent and previously undecided voters, according to LaPlant’s CAR telephone survey as well as national survey results.
The races for local offices are less contentious. The VSU study shows Ashley Paulk with a commanding lead over rival G. Norman Bennett for chairman of the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners — 58 percent for Paulk to 28 percent for Bennett. Chris Prine holds an almost identical lead over Freddie Taylor — 57 percent to 27 percent — for the office of Lowndes County sheriff, according to the CAR survey.
Local News
Senate runoff possible
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From the CIA to man about town
Meet Jack Pruden, former member of the Central Intelligence Agency.
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Berrien school medical facility faces an uncertain future
A state-of-the-art medical facility that was introduced in Berrien County public schools in 2010 might be ending soon.
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New TV listings section debuts in print edition
In Sunday editions of The Valdosta Daily Times, keep an eye out for the updated TV listings section.
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Man shot in Valdosta; police car, ambulance collide
Response to a shooting Saturday afternoon led to a collision between a police vehicle and an ambulance.
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Annual Father-Daughter Dance enters 16th year
Three-week-old Emmaline Taylor lay contentedly on dad Trey Taylor’s shoulder Friday night, completely oblivious to the sights and sounds of the Father-Daughter Valentine Dance.
Now in its 16th year, the popular annual event is sponsored by Valdosta’s First Presbyterian Church and held at the James H. Rainwater Conference Center.
“We’ve been looking forward to this,” Trey Taylor said. “When we first got pregnant, (my wife Sheya and I) looked to see if she would be here in time for the Father-Daughter Dance.” -
VPD offers online citation payment
The Valdosta Police Department has implemented a new online service to assist traffic violators.
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School system grades policy gets national exposure
Local radio personality Scott James of Talk 92.1 will be appearing on “Fox & Friends” today at 7:45 a.m. to share feedback about the new grading policy implemented by the Lowndes County School System.
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Don Giovanni: VSU presents Mozart’s most famous opera
VALDOSTA — Editing Mozart isn’t for sissies.
It takes a certain knowledge, talent and sheer chutzpah to perform surgery on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Alas, in our age of short-attention spans, it is a challenge which many opera productions must consider, given that many of Mozart’s originals stretched as long as four hours. -
Traffic Unit coming to Hahira
HAHIRA — The Hahira City Council voted to allow the addition of a Traffic Enforcement Unit to the Hahira Police Department at Thursday night’s regular session council meeting.
The Traffic Enforcement Unit will patrol two miles of Interstate 75 and according to Hahira Police Chief Terry Davis, has nothing to do with making money and everything to do with the safety of Hahira’s citizens. -
Life’s a Drag
Theatre Guild Valdosta unleashes some of its leading players this week to star in its newest comedy, “Leading Ladies.”
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