GOP sweep makes Georgia a one party state once again

Stick a fork in them. The Georgia Democratic Party is as dead as a Thanksgiving turkey. Republicans swept all statewide offices in Tuesday’s election, winning each race easily and avoiding runoffs.

After a brief stretch of two party rule that spanned the past 16 years, Georgia has once again become a one-party state. Only now it’s Republicans in charge, not Tom Murphy’s Democrats.

Voters in Fayette and across most of the state didn’t pause long at the machines to study candidates’ names. They simply looked for the (R) and tapped away.

The top-performing statewide Republican in Fayette was secretary of state Brian Kemp, with just a hair under 67-percent of the local vote. No statewide Republican did worse than 64-percent in Fayette.

Even Fayetteville’s own Darryl Hicks polled at a measly 30-percent in his home county, cursed by the scarlet ‘D’ after his name.

While Fayette balked at its chance to put a hometown power broker in office, Gainesville did not. The folks in Hall County are rejoicing this week. In Governor-elect Nathan Deal, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Tom Ralston, they are now represented by the three most powerful elected officials in the state. It’s as good a time as ever to own property near Lake Lanier.

With Fayette’s help, Georgia Republicans have won control of the state house, senate and every statewide constitutional office. We voters trust them to deal with the state’s widespread problems: a huge projected budget shortfall, shrinking water sources, transportation gridlock, high unemployment and a lagging educational system.

The Republicans will also need to address the state’s poor trauma care infrastructure, after voters declined to impose an extra car tag tax on themselves by scuttling Ammendment 2.

The old saying is “all politics are local,” however it’s undeniable that the national trend and anger with the Democratic Congress played a role in Georgia’s Republican sweep -- just as Obama’s former popularity and the general disgust at Republicans in Congress pushed Saxby Chambliss into a runoff two years ago.

We’ve got some promising and bright Republican leaders in the General Assembly. I look forward to seeing what local Republicans Matt Ramsey and Ronnie Chance will do this upcoming session.

I am less comfortable with the former U.S. Congressmen we just put in the Governor’s mansion, but I’m willing to give him a chance.

If Nathan Deal manages to balance Georgia’s budget, improve our schools, win the water war and provide longterm transportation solutions, we’ll all be better off.

If he fails, the Georgia Democratic party just might manage to one day come back from the dead.

The election is over. Now the real challenges must be addressed.