At 7 a.m. sharp this morning, workers at Fayette's 36 voting precincts opened the doors for the 2010 Georgia primary. Until 7 p.m. this evening, voters from across the county will file through the polling places, selecting three important county leadership positions and the major party nominees for statewide and national offices.
Two county commission posts and one school board seat will be decided in today's Republican Primary. By Wednesday, we'll know if voters have sent Commissioners Jack Smith and Eric Maxwell back for second terms or if challengers Steve Brown and Al McCarty have unseated the incumbents.
Locals will also decide if Dr. Bob Todd stays on the school board, or if Charlie Cave will take his place.
Many of the statewide races are filled with candidates desperately trying to stand out in crowded fields.
A total of 14 candidates are running for governor. On the Democratic side, Attorney General Thurbert Baker and Former House Minority Leader DuBose Porter are both trying to force former Governor Roy Barnes into a runoff.
The Republican side of the top race is even more wide open, with five candidates polling within 15 points of each other. The latest Monday polls point to a runoff between former Sec. of State Karen Handel and either Nathan Deal, Eric Johnson or John Oxendine.
The Republican Insurance Commissioner race is one of the more widely contested down-ballot races.
Seth Harp, a State Sen. from Midland, was one of the only statewide candidates to sweep through Fayette on the final day of campaigning. He and his wife flew into Falcon Field Monday afternoon for a brief lunch at Partner's II Pizza, one of Peachtree City's oldest restaurants.
Harp scored an unexpected dose of media attention Sunday evening as John Oxendine, the current Insurance Commissioner and a Republican candidate for governor, responded to Harp's harsh criticism of him during the televised Atlanta Press Club Governor's debate.
Once the frontrunner, Oxendine's poll numbers have plummeted amid ethics troubles.
Harp had previously said "Oxendine has pretty well used his office for as a fundraising organization for about the last eight years,"
During the debate, Oxendine called Harp "a trial attorney [who] has spent his entire career trying to hurt Georgia businesses."
Harp responded at Partner's on Monday.
"I will bring rates down for the people of Georgia as Insurance Commissioner," Harp said.
"Georgians will benefit when there is a more honest and level playing field at the Insurance Commissioner's office."
Peachtree City's Gary Horlacher is the only current Fayette native in the hunt for statewide office.
He is seeking the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State.
A Fayette County High School classmate of legendary former sheriff Randall Johnson, Horlacher has worked as a state labor commissioner, a spokesman for former governor Roy Barnes and a private attorney.
During the campaign, he visted all 159 of Georgia's counties. While he expects most voters in conservative Fayette County to pull G.O.P ballots today to chime in on the local races, he hopes for some home town support.
"There's a lot of anger out there justifiably being directed at incumbents in power," Horlacher stated.
"In Georgia, the incumbents are Republicans. People are tired of the lack of solutions on water, education, election management and the budget. We have some real strong leaders on the Democratic side of the ticket this year. Once voters toss the partisan rhetoric and look first at the individual, I feel I'm going to do well."
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