Martin Misses in Hard-Fought Georgia Senate Runoff
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In yesterday’s runoff election for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat, working family-friendly candidate Jim Martin made a strong effort but wasn’t able to unseat incumbent Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Chambliss won with 57 percent of the vote, while Martin took 43 percent.
Martin’s presence in the runoff and the votes he won last night are thanks, in part, to the efforts of hundreds of union volunteers who have been working hard contacting active and retired members around the state. Union volunteers knocked on 100,000 doors, sent 300,000 pieces of union mail and leafleted more than 150 worksites. Union phone bankers made more than 300,000 phone calls, and Martin himself took part in a union phone bank as the election approached.
Throughout the race, union volunteers identified and mobilized union voters. Though they weren’t successful this time, they’ll be ready to turn out votes in future Georgia races.
Tomorrow: Georgia’s Senate Runoff Race
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Tomorrow, Georgia voters go to the polls to vote in the runoff election for U.S. Senate. AFL-CIO-endorsed Jim Martin is in a close contest with anti-worker incumbent Sen. Saxby Chambliss in a race that could determine the ability to pass a pro-working family agenda in 2009 and beyond.
Union volunteers are putting in long hours and mobilizing around the state to get out the vote in the Senate runoff. If Martin wins, he’ll be the 59th pro-worker vote in the Senate, providing a critical voice for policies that will rebuild America’s middle class and strengthen the economy. Chambliss would continue to stand in the way of progress on health care, job creation and the Employee Free Choice Act.
Sen. Chambliss Gets Angry When Asked About Role in Sugar Dust Blast
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Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the anti-worker senator fighting for his career in a tight Georgia runoff election, is facing a subpoena to testify about his relationship with Imperial Sugar. As we’ve noted, Imperial Sugar—an ally and patron of Chambliss—is hoping to evade responsibility for a deadly sugar dust explosion that killed 14 workers last February.
Yesterday, Chambliss responded to a question about the subpoena by swatting away a camera held by a volunteer (see video). Not only is he dodging a court order, but he doesn’t want to discuss his relationship with the company or his attacks on a whistle-blower who exposed the dangerous conditions at the Imperial plant.
As Firedoglake reported, Chambliss received $21 million in campaign contributions this election cycle from the sugar industry.
