And talking about GOP candidates for Lt. Gov., what about the Democrats? - Say it ain't so Denise.

The Monday 1-03-05 PI had the following story (excerpts):

It's an understatement to say things have been quiet on the Democratic side of the 2006 race for lieutenant governor.

That changed Monday with former state Sen. Greg Hecht's announcement that he's seeking the Democratic nomination to succeed Mark Taylor, who is expected to run for governor. The Jonesboro lawyer and businessman, who lost a congressional primary race to U.S. Rep. David Scott in 2002, said Monday he intends to run on "education, healthcare, transportation, clean water and jobs."

"We're going to grind. I've always had a reputation for working really hard, and that's what it's going to take," he said.

Sounds like a lot of effort for a job which for Taylor has been like being the Maytag repairman lately. The lieutenant governor serves as president of the Senate, but Taylor was stripped of most of his power after the Republicans took control in 2002. Hecht's assumption, of course, is that the balance can change to make the job more appealing.
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Bill Shipp recently wrote in Georgia Trend, as noted in my 1-5-05 post:

[Sen. Johnny] Isakson's general-election campaign turned into a cakewalk. Democrats chose one-term Congresswoman Denise Majette as their nominee. She abandoned her House seat to go for the Senate, declaring that God instructed her to run. Despite airing several effective TV ads, Majette never had a chance. Her bipartisan supporters from the 4th District felt betrayed. After defeating over-the-top Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney in 2002, Majette opened the way for McKinney's return to the House when she decided to enter the Senate race. Isakson clobbered Majette on Election Day.
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Because of the foregoing, Georgia Democrats -- black, white and Hispanic -- should not have been happy campers with the following story in the 1-30-05 PI:

The same Someone who told her to run for the U.S. Senate may now be whispering, "Let's do it again."

We hear that Denise Majette, the former Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate and now a part-time judge in DeKalb County, is contemplating a run for lieutenant governor in '06. Right now, the only other candidate on that side of the ballot is Greg Hecht, the former state senator from Clayton County.
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On January 24 I attended the Red Clay Democrats' Third Annual Legislative Reception (the subject of a 1-28-05 post).

Greg Hecht and Denise Majette were both in attendance.

My reaction to even the remotest possibility that Ms. Majette would even consider another statewide race at this critical time in the life of the Democratic party in Georgia -- say it ain't so Denise.

Majette's leaving her relatively safe congressional seat to run for the U.S. Senate in 2004 was considered by all to be political suicide.

Over the summer the only credible explanation I heard for her runing was that she was tired of Washington, had never really been comfortable there, and wanted to come back to Georgia.

If true, what a heck of a way to do it.

Regardless, I agree with a statement someone made after learning that Majette may be considering running for lieutenant governor in 2006:

"I do not believe large numbers of blacks will vote for Majette ever again."

I agree with this statement, and one thing is definitely for sure. Majette's standing and vote getting ability is much less than it was prior to her unsuccessful 2004 campaign.

If she did realize -- as everyone, and I mean everyone, advised her -- that it was politically impossible for her to win the U.S. Senate seat in 2004, and ran anyway as a way of coming back to Georgia and being able to maintain her political visibility at the same time, she put her own interest ahead of the party.

I hope she will not do this again in 2006.