Georgia: Senior Senator

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R)

Saxby Chambliss (R) Elected 2002, 1st term up 2008
Born:	11-10-1943, Warrenton, NC
Home:	Moultrie
Education:	U. of GA, B.A. 1966, U. of TN, J.D. 1968
Religion:	Episcopalian
Marital Status:	married (Julianne)
Elected  Office:	U.S. House of Reps., 1994-2002.
Professional Career:	Practicing atty., 1968–94.
DC Office	416 RSOB, 20510 202-224-3521 Fax: 202-224-0103 Website: chambliss.senate.gov
State Offices	Atlanta:404-763-9090; Augusta:706-738-0302; Macon:478-741-1417; Moultrie:229-985-2112; Savannah:912-232-3657;
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Saxby Chambliss, the senior senator from Georgia, was elected in 2002 after serving four terms in the House. Chambliss grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, the son of an Episcopalian minister, went to college in Georgia, and practiced business and agriculture law in Moultrie starting in 1968. In 1992 he ran for the House and lost the Republican primary; in 1994 he was the sole Republican candidate, while Democrats, as in days of yore, had a multi-candidate contest. The winner was Craig Mathis, the 32-year-old son of Congressman (1971–81) Dawson Mathis. Chambliss won 63%-37%. Speaker Newt Gingrich saw that Chambliss got the committee assignments he needed most—Armed Services, to look after Warner Robins Air Force Base, and Agriculture, to protect subsidies for peanut farmers.

When Budget Chairman John Kasich announced his retirement in July 1999, Chambliss started a campaign for the post. In July 2000, after Senator Paul Coverdell died suddenly, Chambliss considered running in the November election to replace him. Speaker Dennis Hastert persuaded him to stay in the House, and Chambliss came away feeling he would get the Budget chair. But he had competition from Jim Nussle of Iowa; the Republican Steering Committee interviewed both candidates and in December 2000 picked Nussle. Chambliss got an Agriculture subcommittee chairmanship and Hastert made him head of a working group on terrorism. After September 11, Hastert made that into an Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security.

These were obviously good political credentials for a Senate candidacy, and Chambliss had two other reasons to consider challenging Democratic Senator Max Cleland in 2002. One was Cleland’s narrow 49%-48% margin of victory in 1996 and Georgia’s Republican trend, evident in George W. Bush’s 55%-43% margin there in 2000. The other was the uncertainty of his House seat. Democratic redistricters passed a plan in September 2001 that left him with two unpleasant options: run in a primary against Savannah-based Republican incumbent Jack Kingston or in the new Democratic-leaning 3d District. The Bush White House and Senate campaign committee chairman Bill Frist urged Chambliss to run for the Senate, and in October 2001 he announced he would. Chambliss was not an initial favorite to win. Cleland had a compelling biography. After college he volunteered for the Army and went to Vietnam in 1967; he lost both legs and his right arm when a loose grenade exploded. After Senator Sam Nunn announced his retirement after four terms, he ran for the Senate in 1996 and beat Republican businessman Guy Millner 49%-48%. He served on the Armed Services Committee and had a moderate voting record. But in 2001 and 2002 he tended to stick with the close-knit Democratic Caucus while his new colleague, Zell Miller, dissented vociferously on issues from the tax cut to the Department of Homeland Security personnel rules. On the Republican side, Chambliss won the August 2002 primary 61%-27%. “From Rabun Gap to Tybee Light, voters continue to tell me that Max Cleland is too liberal for Georgia,” he said on primary election night.

Cleland’s two major strengths—his sacrifice in Vietnam and his support from the highly popular Miller—seemed formidable. Cleland supporters noted that Chambliss had received four student deferments in the 1960s and then was found ineligible for service because of a bad knee. Miller, in ads, told voters of Cleland’s “rock solid Georgia values.” But that did not deter Chambliss from launching sharp attacks. He ran a series of 10-second spots, mentioning Cleland’s opposition to an amendment banning aid for schools that barred the Boy Scouts, his votes against the partial-birth abortion ban, his support of school clinics passing out morning-after pills without parental permission, his vote against confirming Attorney General John Ashcroft, his vote against speeding elimination of the marriage penalty—all ending with an apparently astounded announcer asking, “Why would he do that?”

But probably the most important issue was homeland security. Cleland stood with other Senate Democrats in opposing the degree of flexibility over work rules in the new department. The dispute occupied the Senate for much of October and prevented passage of the bill to create the department. On the other side, standing loudly in his support of Bush and his opposition to other Senate Democrats was Zell Miller. Chambliss ran an ad, much attacked in the press, showing pictures of Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and Max Cleland, and saying that Cleland “voted against the President’s vital homeland security efforts 11 times.” Against this, Cleland’s ads attacking Chambliss for opposing an increase in the minimum wage and financing children’s health insurance, for cutting student loans and school aid for the disabled, were weak stuff. In a late October debate, Cleland, echoing John Randolph of Roanoke on Henry Clay, said that the Osama Bin Laden ad was “like a mackerel in the moonlight—it both shines and stinks at the same time.” But Cleland’s record in Vietnam did not inoculate him against charges that he had given short shrift to homeland security. The tide of opinion, as measured by very late polls, was moving toward Chambliss. George W. Bush visited the state three times in his behalf, with visits to Atlanta and Savannah the Saturday before the election. On Election Day Chambliss won 53%-46%, a much bigger margin than just about anyone expected for either candidate. Chambliss carried metro Atlanta 52%-47%, running ahead of Republican governor candidate Sonny Perdue, and he carried the rest of Georgia 54%-45%. It was a slightly stronger showing than Coverdell made four years before, primarily because of increasing Republican percentages in the outer counties of metro Atlanta. In the three black-majority counties of 20-county metro Atlanta (Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton), turnout was up 26,000 from 1998 and the Democratic margin up 34,000. But in the other 17 counties, turnout was up 123,000 and the Republican margin was up 40,000.

In the Senate Chambliss has had a conservative voting record and has taken a lead role on several issues. He was chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee of Judiciary, and in 2003 succeeded in passing a law modifying L-1 visas, so that international companies who bring in foreign employees cannot shop them out to other employers. He continued to be favorable to firms seeking more H-1B visas for high-tech foreign employees. He also pressed to change the law so that immigrants seeking to stay in the U.S. through the lottery procedure are not disqualified if the immigration authorities fail to process their applications on time. He called for “total overhaul” of immigration, but conceded that wasn’t practicable. Initially, he was favorable to George W. Bush’s proposal for a guest worker program, at least for farm workers, but unlike some Democrats who back similar proposals he argued that putting such workers on the road to citizenship unfairly rewards those who broke the law. He opposed a proposal by Republicans in Atlanta to cut off state financing of services to illegal immigrants. In May 2006, he was 1 of 36 Senators who voted against the bipartisan immigration reform bill and in June 2007 he joined Johnny Isakson to oppose the immigration bill they had helped draft because they felt it wouldn't do enough to secure the borders.

On the Armed Services Committee, Chambliss was alert to the needs of Georgia military bases and defense contractors. He objected in April 2005 when the Pentagon announced plans to discontinue the building of the C-130 cargo plane by Lockheed Martin in Marietta. In 2006, he moved successfully to reverse plans to cut back on procurement of the F-22 Raptor, also produced by Lockheed Martin. Chambliss supported the Bush administration on Iraq, but in November 2003 voted to have the $20 billion in reconstruction aid classified as a loan rather than a grant. He showed his frustration with “a lot of bad decisions” in the war in Iraq when he was 1 of 14 Senators who voted in February 2007 against the nomination of George Casey as Army chief of staff.

In 2005, Chambliss became chairman of the Agriculture Committee—the first Senator since 1947 to chair a standing committee after serving only two years, according to the Congressional Research Service. He resisted demands to impose income caps on wealthy farmers and other budget cuts in cotton and other commodity programs important to Georgia, and advocated domestic production of sugar ethanol. In the minority, he remained senior Republican on the committee during handling of the farm bill, and argued to keep programs at existing levels. He has been a backer of Representative John Linder’s Fair Tax, a 23% retail sales tax to replace all income taxes. He also sought to bar states from requiring catalytic converters on lawn mowers under 50 horsepower (Briggs & Stratton produces them in Statesboro). Chambliss has been rated the second-best golfer in the Senate behind John Ensign.

In the early skirmishing for reelection in 2008, Cleland turned down a rematch; in July 2007, DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones formally announced his candidacy, with hopes for a large black voter turnout. Atlanta TV reporter Dale Cardwell also announced his candidacy. Given the political direction in Georgia, Democrats faced an uphill challenge. 

Committees

• Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry (RMM of 10 R).
  
• Armed Services (6th of 12 R)
  Personnel; Readiness & Management Support; Airland.
• Intelligence (Select) (4th of 7 R).
  
• Rules & Administration (5th of 9 R).