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Barnes to enter race for Governor this week?
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There's a lot of buzz in the blogosphere, mostly over at Peach Pundit, that Roy Barnes will announce his candidacy for Governor in the Democratic Party primary. I've previously noted here that Barnes sounds like a candidate for Governor, though some Democrats have told me he may be a candidate for United States Senate. Others who have spoken to Barnes or his family have told me that he won't run because he is enjoying the pleasantries of life.
If Barnes runs, I think the nomination is his, though I wouldn't toss aside the possibility of a runoff between him and Thurbert Baker, and I think he is the only candidate currently running for Governor that gives the Democrats a shot to win. Why? He has experience, Georgia voters still remember who he is and he wasn't all that bad of a Governor. And as I've previously noted, he is has a better fiscal record than his Republican successor. A Senate run is less likely, but I guess it's possible.
Barnes entrance in the race could really change the landscape. I wouldn't be surprised to see DuBose Porter switch gears and run for Lt. Governor. I'm confident Baker and David Poythress stay put. Baker has nothing to lose, considering that African-American voters will dictate the outcome of the Democratic primary.
One point that I have to make is that Barnes nor any of the already announced candidates in the Democratic Party primary are what could be called "liberal Democrats." In other words, there is no Jim Martin here. All four of these guys are moderate to conservative Democrats, though I think only two of them (Baker and Barnes) really present a problem for Republicans.
