The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/10/09 Section: News

BULLOCK

With Democrats eyeing open Georgia seats for the 2010 elections, it is crucial for the Republican Party to revamp its message, a University professor said.

In 2010, another round of elections in Georgia begins, and there have never been so many open seats in office, Charles Bullock, a University political science professor, said at a College Republicans event Wednesday.

"If you're a minority party, like the Democrats are in Georgia, open seats are promising prospects. Incumbency is an equal opportunity advantage; incumbents always have a leg up."

With so few incumbents in 2010, Democrats view it as an opportunity to gain more seats in Georgia's open offices.

As for the future of the Republican Party, Bullock said he believes it needs to make some changes to its basic message.

"Republicans need to come up with a broader, more encompassing message that appeals to a wider demographic."

Bullock said the perception of Republicans is often they are apathetic about helping the environment, creating more efficient forms of transportation or helping the middle class. "

"This perception needs to change. The Labour Party in Britain once experienced this," Bullock said. "And I believe that Republicans in Georgia and the U.S. may need to experience this."

Bullock discussed the 2008 presidential election and its implications for the Republican party in Georgia and nationwide. "In November, Georgia went right, while the rest of the country went left," Bullock said. "Georgia remained very much a red state."

The state was not as strongly Republican in 2008, however, than it had been in previous elections. The 2008 presidential election, Bullock said, was comparatively a close race in Georgia.

"The [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] ran a map of Georgia after the election that showed the results county by county," Bullock said. "The result was that the blue triangle of Democratic counties in Northern Georgia doubled in size this November."

Counties that voted mostly for Barack Obama last fall included Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton, as well as Athens-Clarke County.

This change is due partly to changes in the demographic of voters, Bullock said. From 2004 to 2008, the nation received a net gain of 1.5 million registered voters, a 35 percent increase in number.

"African Americans increased their number of registered voters by more than 10 percent in 2008," Bullock said. Newly registered voters historically have had a low turnout rate when it comes time to vote, but this was not the case in 2008.

"A lot of new registrants voted in 2008," Bullock said. "In last year's election, there were 131 million votes cast in all. That's up from 122 million in 2004."

The chairmen of the College Republicans said the group has positive thoughts for 2010.

"The elections of 2008 are over, and we are looking forward to picking up seats in the U.S. Congress, electing a Republican Senator and keeping Georgia Red in 2010," Greg Wilson said Thursday.

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