Cover Story: U.S. Senate, Democratic primary

The job: Democratic nominee to become Georgia’s junior U.S. senator, replacing Zell Miller

The candidates: Attorneys Leigh Baier, Sid Cottingham and James N. Finkelstein; businessman Jim Boyd; millionaire entrepreneur Cliff Oxford; real estate agent Govind Patel; state Sen. Mary Squires; and former U.S. Rep. Denise Majette.

The skinny: What was Majette thinking? First off, she left a safe congressional seat to take a long shot for the Senate against GOP heavy-hitters in an increasingly conservative state. That brings into question her political judgment.

Even more distressing is the abruptness with which she bailed on her constituents in Georgia’s 4th Congressional District — after barely a year in office. Because of Congress’ emphasis on seniority, voters naturally assume their new representative will stick around long enough to actually get stuff done. Majette effectively reneged on that understanding.

She seemed off to a good start in the Capitol, especially considering what a shaky novice she was in her first campaign. The former state court judge earned higher marks on constituent service and legislative achievement than did her predecessor, Cynthia McKinney. She has transformed herself from a hesitant, under-informed candidate into a graceful, well-spoken incumbent.

Still, Majette can be frustratingly vague on the issues; at times it seems she’s spent her time in Washington learning the finer points of political doublespeak. She calls Bush’s No Child Left Behind program an “underfunded mandate” but offers no suggestions to fix it. She says the United States should strike a balance in trade policy that’s neither too restrictive nor permissive. No kidding? Even when she argues that the nation needs to reform its health insurance system, she lacks specifics.

If it seems Majette would be out of her depth in the Senate, however, her leading opponents are drowning material. As an entrepreneurial success story, Oxford is an inspiration. He rose from poor beginnings in Waycross — “Route 3, Swamp Road,” he reminds us until it’s become a punch line — to become a multi-millionaire high-tech business owner.

Unlike Majette, he articulates specific governmental aims: tax incentives for small businesses, guaranteed health coverage to children, higher minimum wage. But Oxford can come off as unprepared when dealing about non-business issues, as if he’s misplaced his talking points.

We suspect he’s gotten a raw deal from the AJC on his personal problems with his two ex-wives, but we’re not convinced he has the temperament needed to be a statesman. His apparent unwillingness to pay political dues, combined with a half-hearted campaigning effort — he seems to be banking on the inevitable ad onslaught typical of such fat-cat candidates — make us question Oxford’s commitment to the job.

At the other end of the campaign-spending spectrum is the only other candidate with a chance for the nomination. Squires had stumped door-to-door around the state for more than a year in an effort to build name recognition. In the process, she’s honed her positions and developed an engaging rapport with like-minded voters.

But to folks who aren’t as left-leaning as her, Squires can seem off-putting and strident, as when she theorizes (not without reason) that No Child Left Behind was created by the Bushies to “destroy public schools,” or when she tearfully took the state Senate well to accuse Gov. Sonny Perdue of being a racist. That inopportune snippiness betrays a lack of common political sense that would play poorly in Georgia’s General Election and even less effectively in the Senate.

Political handicap: Majette’s favorable name recognition gives her the edge, but Oxford’s TV buy could force the two into a runoff.

Throwaway vote: Boyd has been Georgia’s most dependable perennial candidate since before you were born, yet he never seems to age on his campaign posters.

Our pick: Majette. Though still a lackluster campaigner, she’s performed well in Congress.