Attorney Art Gardner of Marietta announced today he is running for the GOP nomination to replace outgoing Sen. Saxby Chambliss — and he is not afraid to say he supports same-sex marriage.
“81 percent of Americans under 30 believe in marriage equality. How can our party expect to win, if we exclude major segments of the population with divisive social policies?” Gardner said, citing a Washington Post/ABC poll, in a press release today announcing his candidacy.
Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr authored the Defense of Marriage Act, then said he would repeal it. Will that make him too liberal for Georgia Republicans as he seeks to return to Congress?
Barr has a press conference scheduled today in which he's expected to announce his bid for the 11th District congressional seat currently held by Rep. Phil Gingrey. Yesterday, Barr said in a video posted on Youtube that he would announce his candidacy today.
Gingrey, no friend of LGBT rights, is vacating the seat to run for the U.S. Senate post that will be open thanks to Sen. Saxby Chambliss' decision not to seek reelection.
The race to replace U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) could turn into a battle over who is the most anti-gay. Most of the popular candidates indentified in recent survey of voters have records of opposing LGBT equality, including frontrunners Sonny Perdue and Karen Handel.
Chambliss announced late last week his intention to retire at the end of his current term in Washington, D.C., which ends in 2014.
“After much contemplation and reflection, I have decided not to run for re-election to the Senate in 2014,” Chambliss said in a statement released to media Jan. 25.