2006 Georgia gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:2006 Georgia gubernatorial election
Country:Georgia (U.S. state)
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2002 Georgia gubernatorial election
Previous Year:2002
Next Election:2010 Georgia gubernatorial election
Next Year:2010
Election Date:November 7, 2006
Image1:File:Sonny Perdue at rally.jpg
Nominee1:Sonny Perdue
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:1,229,724
Percentage1:57.95%
Nominee2:Mark Taylor
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:811,049
Percentage2:38.22%
Map Size:240px
Governor
Before Election:Sonny Perdue
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
After Election:Sonny Perdue
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Georgia incumbent Republican Governor Sonny Perdue ran for re-election to a second and final term as governor. Governor Perdue was renominated by the Republican Party, defeating a minor opponent in the process, while Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor narrowly emerged victorious from a competitive Democratic primary. In the general election, though Taylor ran a spirited campaign, Perdue was aided by the increasing tendency of the state to vote for Republicans and by his popularity with the public; polling showed his approval ratings above sixty percent. In the end, Perdue was overwhelmingly re-elected as governor, defeating Taylor in a landslide, becoming the first Republican Governor of Georgia to ever be reelected. As of, this is the last time that Muscogee, Warren, Rockdale, Chatham, and Bibb counties voted for the Republican candidate for governor and the last time that Marion, Telfair, and Wheeler counties voted for the Democratic candidate.

Exit polls showed that Perdue won white voters (68% to 27%) while Taylor won black voters (81% to 17%). As of, Perdue's 17% of the African-American vote was the highest showing of any Republican seeking statewide office in Georgia.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

General election

Fundraising

Perdue had more financial resources on hand than Taylor. As of the March 31 filing, Perdue reported that he had over $8 million on hand, while Taylor had $4.1 million in reserve. Perdue had the added advantage of facing a weak opponent in Ray McBerry in the primary election, while Cox and Taylor engaged in a bitter struggle for the Democratic nomination. Hayes, the Libertarian candidate, reported less than $1,000 on hand, though the September 11 Zogby poll showed him attracting a surprising 8.1 percent of polled voters.

Advertisements

A minor controversy developed during the primary campaign over an ad created by Georgians for Truth, a group founded by several prominent Democratic fundraisers. The ad criticized Perdue for allegedly failing to pay his taxes for several years before becoming governor, allegations that had been made in the 2002 campaign as well. Cox and Taylor, for reasons that are not clear, requested that the group not run the ad, prompting the Georgia Democratic Party chairman, Bobby Kahn, to strongly rebuke the group's members.

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
align=left The Cook Political Report[1] November 6, 2006
align=left Sabato's Crystal Ball[2] November 6, 2006
align=left Rothenberg Political Report[3] November 2, 2006
align=left Real Clear Politics[4] November 6, 2006

Campaign issues

Education

On April 19, 2006, Cox charged that Taylor had not sponsored the HOPE scholarship legislation in 1993, as he claimed. Taylor apparently sponsored a companion bill that did not pass, although he supported the bill that did pass. The incident portended a strongly negative campaign for the Democratic nomination.

Health care

Immigration

The problem presented by illegal immigrants emerged during Georgia's 2006 legislative session as an issue likely to have a large impact on the gubernatorial campaign. Perdue signed legislation restricting the ability of illegal immigrants to access state resources, including health care and public education.

Voting

Polling

SourceDateTaylor (D)Perdue (R)Hayes (L)
Strategic VisionNov. 1, 200636%52%5%
Strategic VisionOct. 25, 200632%51%9%
Strategic VisionSeptember 27, 200639%51%4%
Zogby/WSJSeptember 11, 200634.9%47.4%8.1%
Zogby/WSJAugust 28, 200640.7%51.3%
Strategic VisionAugust 23, 200641%54%
RasmussenAugust 4, 200639%53%
Zogby/WSJJuly 24, 200639.3%52.1%
Strategic VisionJune 28, 200644%50%
Zogby/WSJJune 21, 200640%48.6%
Strategic VisionMay 10, 200639%51%
RasmussenMay 6, 200636%51%
RasmussenMarch 26, 200641%51%
Strategic VisionMarch 8, 200633%57%
RasmussenFeb 16, 200633%53%
Strategic VisionJan 25, 200636%57%
Strategic VisionDec 7, 200538%55%
Strategic VisionOct 26, 200537%55%
Strategic VisionAug 4, 200540%52%
Strategic VisionMay 13, 200542%50%
Strategic VisionFeb 11, 200544%50%

Results

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

See also

External links

Official campaign websites (archived)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2006 Governor Race Ratings for November 6, 2006. The Cook Political Report. October 1, 2006. June 5, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080605094803/https://cookpolitical.com/races/report_pdfs/2006_gov_ratings_nov6.pdf. dead.
  2. Web site: Election Eve 2006: The Final Predictions . Sabato's Crystal Ball . June 25, 2021.
  3. Web site: 2006 Gubernatorial Ratings . Senate Ratings . The Rothenberg Political Report . June 25, 2021.
  4. Web site: Election 2006 . Real Clear Politics . June 25, 2021.