Posted on 04/24/2003 11:46:12 AM PDT by jern
Posted on Thu, Apr. 24, 2003
Former Georgia governor endorses Sen. John Edwards Associated Press
ATLANTA -Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes is endorsing Sen. John Edwards for the Democratic presidential nomination, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Thursday.
Barnes said the early endorsement is the result of long ties with Edwards, a fellow Democrat and lawyer. Barnes also said he and his wife, Marie, had made the maximum allowable contributions to the North Carolina senator.
"I like him and I have known him for some time," Barnes told the newspaper Wednesday. "I think he brings a fresh perspective to the issues and is electable."
Georgia's primary won't be until March 2004, weeks after the nation's first presidential primary.
"It's way too early to tell who's going to even be on the stage by the time the primary gets here," said attorney Keith Mason, who served as chief of staff for another former Georgia governor, Democrat Zell Miller.
Mason said there's no clear consensus among state Democratic leaders about who should receive the nomination, unlike in 1992, when Bill Clinton won wide support, or 1988, when Al Gore was favored.
Miller isn't in any rush to latch on to the Democratic race for now.
"I did enough endorsing during last year's campaign, and have no plans to start endorsing now for 2004," Miller said.
Many Democratic leaders, including Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, have been focused on a grueling legislative session in which lawmakers have grappled over the Georgia flag and balancing the budget.
Edwards' first-quarter disclosure report to the Federal Election Commission shows $212,000 in contributions from Georgians, including $2,000 each from Roy and Marie Barnes.
Barnes was once considered a potential 2004 presidential nominee before his re-election defeat to Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue last year. Barnes has been doing legal work for the poor before returning to private law practice.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Edwards just received the backing of the Loser Of The Century.
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