Primaries in Georgia Suggest GOP Rise

Rep. Johnny Isakson won a fiercely contested Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, making him the heavily favored candidate for the seat soon to be vacated by Democrat Zell Miller.

Two Democrats will hold a runoff in three weeks to determine who will oppose Isakson.

Denise Majette, an African American former judge who has served one term in Congress, won 41% of the Democratic primary vote.

She was trailed by Cliff Oxford, a millionaire businessman who was recruited to run by party leaders. Oxford won 21% of the vote.

In a second closely watched race, liberal warhorse Cynthia McKinney surprised many by winning the Democratic primary for the congressional seat she held for five consecutive terms, before losing it two years ago to Majette. In a heavily Democratic district, she is almost certain to win back her old seat.

In North Carolina’s primary on Tuesday, Republican Rep. Richard M. Burr won his party’s nomination and will face former Clinton chief of staff Erskine Bowles in the race for Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards’ Senate seat. Bowles was unopposed in the primary.

The race for Miller’s Senate seat -- one of five to be vacated by Democrats in the southeast -- has underlined the party’s weakness in Georgia. Gov. Sonny Perdue said the state was poised to have two Republicans in the U.S. Senate for the first time in history. In 2003, Perdue was sworn in as the first Republican governor since Reconstruction.

“We’re going to show that the Republicans have become a majority party in Georgia,” Perdue said. “It’s time to get the main game on.”

During the primary, Isakson was buffeted by negative ads from his opponents, Herman Cain and Rep. Mac Collins, who criticized him for being soft on conservative issues, especially abortion. Isakson opposes abortion, but would make an exception in the case of rape, incest or risk to the mother’s life. He voted to allow privately funded abortions on overseas military bases.

Isakson’s moderation was expected to prove an advantage in the general election, drawing widespread support from the state’s conservative Democrats.

Majette surprised both voters and party insiders when she announced her plans to run for the Senate seat. Two years ago, she was a political neophyte who accomplished a surprising upset victory over McKinney.