| Georgia Republican Party | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Sue Everhart |
| Senate leader | Casey Cagle |
| House leader | David Ralston |
| Founded | 1854 |
| Headquarters | 3110 Maple Drive Atlanta, GA 30305 |
| Ideology | Center-right Conservatism |
| National affiliation | Republican Party |
| Official colors | pink (unofficial) |
| Seats in the Upper House |
36 / 56
|
| Seats in the Lower House |
116 / 180
|
| Website | |
| www.gagop.org | |
| Politics of the United States Political parties Elections |
|
The Georgia Republican Party is one of the two major political parties in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is affiliated with the United States Republican Party (GOP).
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Governor Nathan Deal is the titular head of the Georgia Republican Party. Sue Everhart is the current State Chairman. Kevin Harris is the acting Executive Director after Toby Carr, the previous Executive Director, accepted a position in Nathan Deal's gubernatorial administration. Alec Poitevint, former State Chairman, serves as Republican National Committeeman representing Georgia. Linda Herren serves as the National Committeewoman. Republicans hold every elected position in the state for the first time since Reconstruction.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) handles the national party day to day operations. Campaigns, events, and other party related activities are handled by the RNC. Reince Priebus is the current Chairman of RNC, having won the last election after controversial Chairman Michael Steele withdrew his rebid nomination. The chairman of the RNC is chosen by the President when the Republicans have the White House or otherwise by the party's state committees. Interestingly, there has never been a chairman from Georgia. The RNC, under the direction of the party's presidential candidate, supervises the Republican National Convention, raises funds, and coordinates campaign strategy. On the local level there are similar state committees in every state and most large cities, counties and legislative districts, but they have far less money and influence than the national body.[1]
Current and recent officeholders were primarily known as Democrats until the gradual change of the South. It was also customary for Southern States to propel actual skilled candidates to office, not career politicians. Character and experience in the South is seemingly a bigger deal than a charismatic figure.
After the Civil War, Georgia was initially placed under a military governorship, but in 1868 the Republican Party succeeded in capturing the legislature and electing Rufus Bullock as governor. Support for the Republicans came from the 44% of the state's population that was African-American, along with whites from the mountainous north. Bullock was the first Republican governor of Georgia, but he was threatened with impeachment and fled the state in 1871, leaving the governorship to Benjamin Conley, the president of the Georgia Senate. (In modern times the lieutenant governor is the next in line if the governor cannot serve, but the role of lieutenant governor had not yet been created by that time.) Conley, the second Republican governor of the state, only lasted 72 days: the legislature quickly called a special election, and Conley was succeeded by a Democrat.[2]
These former democrats were known as the Dixiecrats and for the first time since the civil war, broke up their huge voting power due to the issues that have plagued the South for 100 years.[3]
In 1960, a young man came to meet Georgia Republican Campaign Chairman Jeff Davis. The young man was Newt Gingrich, freshly introducing himself into Georgia Republican politics. He envisioned a competitive Republican Party with vast influence in the nation. Chairman Davis, being optimistic and cautious, worked with this young man to ensure victorious future elections.[4] In 1966 Republican Howard Callaway received the plurality of votes for governor but failed to win, when the election was decided by the Democratic Party-controlled Georgia legislature. In the 1970s, amid the Watergate Scandal, the rise of Democratic President Jimmy Carter from Georgia, led to the self proclaimed "dark days" for the Republican Party that led to a decade of failed elections and tough incidents. Georgia Republicans struggled through the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s to become a major party, occasionally winning victories such as the election of House member Newt Gingrich in 1979. Also U.S. Senator Mack Mattingly was elected after, in 1980, only to see those gains erased in subsequent elections. In the 1990s, Georgia played a pivotal role as House Representative Newt Gingrich propelled to the top, becoming Speaker of the House, and embatting himself in a fight to impeach then President Bill Clinton. After allegations of his own marital affair, and the negative attacks against the popular President, Gingrich lost his support and resigned in 1999.[5]
In 2002 Sonny Perdue was elected as the first Republican governor of Georgia since Reconstruction. He served as Governor from 2003-2011 for two terms.[6]
A congressional candidate in 2010, Jody Hice, portrayed President Barack Obama as a communist by using billboards representing a hammer and sickle symbol. The symbol was associated with an iron fist portraying 20th century dictators.[7]
A study from 2001 to April 2011 shows that Georgia had the fifth lowest private sector job growth rate. Also, in July 2011, Georgia ranked 50th in job creation with a loss of 24,900 jobs from July 2010, to July 2011. The state's unemployment rate rose to 10.1 percent in the month of July.[8]
On September 28, 2011, it was revealed that Georgia intends to move their Republican Primary to Super Tuesday by December 1. The party feels that it should play a bigger role due to its size and number of delegates, and is moving forward with the notion that it can have an important say in this next election. Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart said that having an early primary would make Georgia a bigger player in 2012. She added that she did not want to see the state lose delegates by going before March. "Since we became a red state, they haven't paid much attention to us," Everhart said, referring to GOP candidates and the RNC. "They use us as a donor state."[9]
On March 1, Georgia Republican Party will co-host a Presidential debate with CNN which all nine candidates are invited to attend, says Sue Everhart. However, it should be pointed out that there are more than nine GOP Presidential candidates in the race, only nine actually get media coverage.[10]
Georgia is a right to work state. In right to work states, employees can decide if they want to financially support or join a union. Most states in the South are right to work states.[11]
The mascot (symbol) of the Georgia Republican Party is the elephant. The elephant was originally constructed by artist Thomas Nast, in response to the criticism of a possible third term by President Ulysses S. Grant.
The cartoon's image was taken from one of Aesop’s fables, “The Ass in the Lion’s Skin.” It follows up with, “At last coming upon a fox, he [the ass] tried to frighten him also, but the fox no sooner heard the sound of his voice than he exclaimed, ‘I might possibly have been frightened myself, if I had not hear your bray.’” "The moral of the fable is that although a fool may disguise his appearance, his words will reveal his true nature. To Nast, the New York Herald is not a roaring lion to be feared, but a braying ass to be ridiculed. The reference in the citation to “Shakespeare or Bacon” is a jibe at Bennett’s contention that Shakespeare’s works were actually written by Sir Francis Bacon."
In modern day, the symbol of the elephant is seen as a regular commodity, showing up on campaign merchandise and other party materials. Ordinary people would most likely not understand the rise of the elephant, or its history, but understand the symbolic nature of the beast in today's political climate.
The elephant for the GOP rivals the Democrats' donkey.[12]
The Republican Party of Georgia controls both U.S. Senate seats and 8 of the 13 U.S. House seats. Republicans also control all 13 of the 13 state constitutional offices.
In 2002 Sonny Perdue was elected as the first Republican governor of Georgia since Reconstruction. He earned a doctorate from University of Georgia in 1971 in Veterinary Medicine. He served in the US Air Force, earning the rank of Captain, before receiving his honorable discharge and starting up a small business in Raleigh, N.C. He served 10 years beginning in 1990 as a Democrat in the Georgia State Senate, including a tenure as majority leader in 1995-1996. He served as Governor from 2003-2011 for two terms.[13]