11/24/2008
Georgia and Minnesota Senate races still undetermined
Although Election Day has come and gone and a new President-elect readies for the White House, the future of Congress -- and our small business interests -- remains undetermined. A number of U.S. House races, separated by a small margin of votes, are still being counted, and two critical U.S. Senate races have yet to be decided: Minnesota and Georgia.
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Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss |
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Chambliss' challenger, Georgia state Rep. Jim Martin |
These final two races for the Senate are incredibly important to protecting a pro-small business agenda in the 111th Congress. As a result of November's elections, several pro-small business legislators and lifetime Guardian Award winners have lost their seats. The defeat of two additional Guardians -- Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.) and Sen. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.) -- could create the 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority that big labor and anti-business forces need to easily pass legislation that could be devastating to the future of small businesses. Their aggressive potential agenda includes tax increases, healthcare mandates on businesses and card check, a dangerous piece of legislation that would make it easier for unions to coerce and organize employees of small businesses with the elimination of a secret ballot vote.
The unofficial vote tally in Minnesota on Nov. 5 showed Sen. Coleman leading Al Franken by only 571 votes out of nearly 2.9 million cast, forcing the state to conduct a mandatory hand recount. The final outcome of this race could be determined by less than a couple hundred votes. In Georgia, although Sen. Saxby Chambliss garnered almost 49.8 percent of the vote, he needed more than 50 percent of the vote to win according to state law. Thus, the state heads to a crucial runoff election on Dec. 2, and Sen. Saxby Chambliss once again faces state Rep. Jim Martin.
Sen. Chambliss has been a consistent legislative partner with small business throughout his time in the Senate, earning a 100 percent voting record in the 110th Congress and fighting for issues such as small business expensing, tax relief, expanded and affordable healthcare, and most importantly, fighting against the elimination of the secret ballot vote for unionization.
Furthermore, he has a record of being a leader and a coalition builder, working across party lines to protect small businesses. Jim Martin, on the other hand, has consistently left small business behind during his time in Georgia's state Legislature. He has voted against workers' compensation reform but has supported numerous tax increases. The Dec. 2 runoff election is a critical one for small business -- we cannot afford to lose an incredibly powerful voice in the U.S. Senate.
If you live in Georgia, be sure to get out and vote, and encourage your friends, family and employees to do so as well. The elections aren't over yet--and you can still make a difference. For more information about voting in the Dec. 2 runoff, please visit the Georgia Secretary of State's Web site.
To learn more about Sen. Saxby Chambliss and his record of fighting for small business, please visit his campaign Web site.
To learn more about Jim Martin, please visit his campaign Web site.
And as always, stay tuned to NFIB.com/Politics for more information regarding the critical end to the competitive 2008 election season.
