Could Johnson overtake Handel and win GOP gubernatorial race?
Times Herald
Editorial - published April 28, 2009 in OPINION
The ever-evolving field of 2010 Georgia Republican candidates for governor got a potential heavyweight added to the field Monday when Sen. Eric Johnson of Savannah announced he would run for governor instead of lieutenant governor.
Johnson is a former president pro tem of the state Senate who gave up that post last year to run for lieutenant governor. That was at a time when Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle firmly had his sights set on running for governor. This month, Cagle announced that because of a degenerative spinal condition, he would not be running for governor. Instead, Cagle will seek re-election to a second term as lieutenant governor.
With Cagle's switch, there was speculation Johnson would not challenge Cagle. Then on Monday -- the day Cagle had spinal surgery -- Johnson announced his change of plans.
As a candidate for governor, Johnson joins Secretary of State Karen Handel, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine and state Rep. Austin Scott, who have all announced their candidacies for governor.
As the GOP field stands today, we see Handel as the front-runner. She has won a statewide race and has the blessings of Gov. Sonny Perdue. Oxendine has won four statewide races for insurance commissioner. Johnson, a popular leader in the state Senate, has never run a statewide race. Austin is not known statewide. No chance he will win.
With still more than a year to go before the Republican Primary, we would rate Handel the leader, Oxendine second and Johnson third.
Georgia politics can change dramatically in a year. Our guess today would be that Johnson -- not Oxendine -- has the best chance of catching Handel. Johnson's push for school vouchers could be the issue that
