Thurmond implies he might run for Senate, if state Democrats wish him to.

From the Great Speckled Bird...
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State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond clearly wants to run, but he continues to say he won't do it without the party's blessing -- and financial backing.

Every week, it seems, Democratic honchos are spurned by yet another dream candidate in the sweepstakes to replace retiring Zig Zag Miller. But so far they've been notably unenthusiastic about Thurmond, who's won two straight statewide races and national acclaim as labor commissioner.

Party leaders could make safer choices than the Clarke County native. On the other hand, Thurmond may offer just the right antidote for Democratic woes in Georgia.

"Mike would be an outstanding candidate; he is the best stump speaker in politics today in Georgia," says state House Speaker Pro Tem DuBose Porter, D-Dublin.

A run by Thurmond might make political sense, too. His name at the top of the ticket would energize black voters, which could help other Democrats. That would be particularly beneficial in the 12th Congressional District, which includes parts of Augusta, Athens and Savannah.

And Thurmond has proven he can appeal across racial lines. He won three state House races in a majority-white district, then went on to become the first black politician elected to a statewide office without first being appointed by a governor. During the Republicans' 2002 election sweep, he easily won a return to office.

That says something about how capably Thurmond deals with the South's most divisive political issue: race. He just finished a book, Freedom: Georgia's Anti-Slavery Heritage, 1733 to 1865, and speaks on the subject with a rare eloquence that comes across as neither strident nor cloying.

Some party insiders mutter off the record that the party would be nuts to run a black man at the top of the ticket, especially after witnessing Sonny Perdue's racially charged victory last year.
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I don't know how you feel, but I'm going to be pissed if the state party doesn't encourage this guy to run. As I have said before, if Georgia Democrats can't hold on to an open U.S. Senate seat..we can forget about beating Perdue in 2006!

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Maybe Jim Marshall but I would rather have Thurmond run.

The problem is that Thurmon would have to give up his position as Labor Commissioner. Then, Perdue could appoint his replacement. There would be a republican Labor Commissioner. That wouldn't be good, but I would rather have that then Senator Mac Collins or Johnny Isakson.

in addition to all those pricey toll roads y'all get to drive on...courtesy of jersey's state repukes, ain't you excited about mac's new Nationalized Sales Tax?

unless he is another Zell MIller then forget it!

But Thurmond is probably the final viable candidate left (I suspect Marshall wants to stick it out in the House for a few more years). I really hope he runs. We need a candidate in Georgia.