Georgia Senate Race Key Test For Southern Dems

ATLANTA (AllPolitics, Nov. 2) -- The battle to fill the seat held since 1972 by retiring Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn is seen as a test of whether Democrats can stem the GOP tide anywhere in the South.

Democrats could not ask for a more promising nominee than former Georgia Secretary of State Max Cleland, a Vietnam War hero who previously has won statewide races by wide margins. Still, Republicans hope the region's increasing GOP tilt will help their candidate, wealthy businessman Guy Millner, capture the seat for their party.

Cleland has led in some recent polls, but few political experts in Georgia are writing Millner off. In 1994, Millner lost a close race for governor to Democratic incumbent Zell Miller. In that contest and this year's Senate race, Millner has drawn upon the fortune he made as the owner of temporary- employment agencies.

Cleland is perhaps best known for the wounds he suffered as an Army officer in the Vietnam War. A triple amputee -- he lost both legs and one arm in combat -- Cleland uses a wheelchair.

After resigning as secretary of state in January to enter the Senate race, Cleland has been presenting himself as a moderate in the mold of Nunn, while trying to label Millner an ideological extremist.

Millner, a conservative, weathered a tough primary and runoff to win the nomination. His more moderate runoff opponent, former state Sen. Johnny Isakson, turned the contest into a referendum on the abortion issue by running high-profile television ads touting his support of abortion rights as well as Millner's opposition.

There are signs that the party rift has not fully healed since the Aug. 6 runoff. Isakson, who said he would back his party's fall efforts, has been perceived as doing little since his defeat to get his supporters in line for Millner.

While many Isakson supporters are backing Millner as the GOP nominee, other moderate Republicans who supported Isakson are seen as crucial swing voters in November, with both Cleland and Millner seeking their support.

Millner has criticized Cleland for refusing to participate in multiple debates (the Cleland campaign says it has agreed to at least two), and has labeled Cleland a liberal, attempting to tie him closely to the politics of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.)

In addition, Millner has charged that Cleland, as secretary of state, urged parole for a convicted killer who had a politically powerful father. The parolee later committed another murder.

Cleland's campaign acknowledges that he wrote a letter on behalf of the man, but says Millner has distorted the entire matter along the lines of the 1988 GOP "Willie Horton" ad attacking Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis' prison furlough policy.

Cleland's campaign in turn notes that Millner suffered a bout of negative publicity in the fall, when news reports highlighted his membership in a club considered exclusionary toward African-Americans and Jews. Millner subsequently resigned from the club.

Georgia is a key presidential battlefield this year, as it was in 1992. Bill Clinton eked out a narrow victory over George Bush in Georgia that year, and could win here again.

Congressional Quarterly contributed to this report.

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