Dirty Dozen 2002
Race At A Glance: Georgia Senate
| Saxby Chambliss (R) | 53% |  |
| Max Cleland (D) | 46% | |
View Saxby Chambliss' Dirty Dozen profile
The Race
The contest between Sen. Max Cleland and Rep. Saxby Chambliss was one race that didn´ garner much national attention. Early polls showed that voters had a favorable opinion of Cleland, but they didn´ know very much about his accomplishments since entering the Senate. Cleland had compiled a mixed voting record: liberal on economic issues and more moderate on cultural and foreign affairs. Chambliss--a member of the Republican Class of 1994--was well positioned to run on national security. Although the race focused primarily on homeland security and traditional economic issues, one of the key contrasts between the candidates was their respective records on the environment. Chambliss had one of the worst environmental records in the Congress, earning a score of 0% on the 2001 National Environmental Scorecard. His record stands in stark contrast to Cleland who earned a 100% in 2001.
The Environment
Clean rivers and protecting the remaining open spaces in Georgia were important issues to Georgians at the ballot box in 2002. Georgia ranks third in the nation for the amount of open space lost to development and the Chattahoochee River is under continual threat from pollution. Not surprisingly, LCV polling (conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research) found that the most powerful environmental messages were ones that focused on safe drinking water, clean rivers and streams, and local control of development. Chambliss proved he is not on the side of Georgia families by voting to allow more raw sewage to flow into the Chattahoochee River and to force taxpayers, rather than polluters, to clean up toxic sites.
LCV Activities
LCV focused its campaign in counties north of the Atlanta suburbs, and targeted independent women and Democratic seniors. The direct mail program, which reached over 100,000 voters, consisted of three pieces contrasting Cleland's outstanding record on coastline and open space protection against Chambliss's Dirty Dozen status. These voters also received follow-up persuasion and get-out-the-vote phone calls. LCV field staff in the state focused their efforts on earned media and visibility events. In its endorsement of Max Cleland, the Gainesville Times noted that while it is difficult to see the differences between the candidates on certain issues, "Cleland and Chambliss diverge on environmental issues, according to the League of Conservation Voters . . .Chambliss got a zero percent rating from the LCV. Between 1996 and 2000, LCV reports, Chambliss received $333,000 from political action committees opposed to stronger environmental laws. Few can argue the importance of the Chattahoochee to the North Georgia economy and its critical function as the source of drinking water for millions of people in the region."
