Mike Thurmond Sets Sights on Georgia Senate Seat

McDonough, Georgia - As reported in a recent Associated Content article, Georgia's July 20^th primary ballot will pit frontrunner Mike Thurmond against newcomer R. J. Hadley as they vie to be the Democratic candidate for the U. S. Senate seat currently occupied by Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson.

At the time of that writing, an interview with Thurmond had been delayed due to his travel commitments. In the interest of fairness, here are Mike Thurmond's views as obtained through subsequent contact.

While it has been speculated that Thurmond was recruited by Democratic party leaders due to Isakson's recent health issues and Hadley's inexperience, Thurmond names the recession as a main factor in his bid for the Democratic nomination.

"It has changed my philosophy of public service," he wrote in an email. "I am convinced that as leaders we must begin to focus not solely on the next election but on the next generation. We need leaders who will always place the best interests of America and our great state before the best interests of the Democratic or Republican parties."

Georgia is labeled a "Red State" and currently seats two Republican Senators in Washington; however, Thurmond dismisses the notion that a Democrat cannot win this election and points to his victories in three statewide races in Georgia as proof of his ability at the polls.

"The voters know me and my record of accomplishment in helping the unemployed find jobs and giving Georgians hope for themselves and their families," he writes. "We cannot build a brighter future unless we first begin to build bridges of cooperation that will span the red state/blue state way of thinking."

Given the choice, Thurmond believes Georgians will choose his abilities over the record of the incumbent. In words reminiscent of the "Change" rhetoric that won Obama the White House, Thurmond stands on his ability to serve the citizen rather than his commitment to the political machine and corporate special interests.

"We cannot continue to rely on the old regime of Washington insiders whose first inclination is to say "No" to smart economic policies that come down on the side of Main Street instead of Wall Street," he writes. "I have a history of building a winning coalition between rich and poor, old and young, and black and white."

Like Hadley, Thurmond sees creating jobs and education as two of the biggest issues the Senate will face in the near future. Thurmond acknowledges the need to get 15 million Americans working, but also recommends restructuring tax laws to reward achievement and entrepreneurship, an end to fiscal irresponsibility, investment in infrastructure, and focusing on education and worker preparedness as prevention methods to avoid a recurrence of the economic meltdown that has so severely damaged our economy.

Thurmond is not without a track record of success - both personally and professionally.

The youngest of eight children raised in a rural section of Clarke County, Georgia, Thurmond credits his father Sidney, a sharecropper who only earned a 2^nd grade education, with impressing upon him the importance of education, hard work, and public service.

"As the Bible says," he writes, "suffering produces perseverance, perseverance hope, and hope does not disappoint."

Prior to his current 12-year stint as Georgia's Commissioner of Labor, Thurmond worked as director of the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS). According to Thurmond, under his leadership, DFACS moved 100,000 individuals off welfare with innovative programs like the Georgia Fatherhood initiative. As Labor Commissioner, Thurmond oversaw the transformation of old unemployment offices into state-of-the-art "career centers." Thurmond has also initiated innovative employment programs, like "Georgia Works," which operates as an employment and training service. He claims nearly 8,000 individuals have completed the program, with about 60% finding full-time work afterward.

Thurmond believes he embodies the hope that resides in hard work and faith. He recognizes the need to represent all Georgians, not just a privileged few, in Washington.

"I will help families whose homes are threatened by foreclosure and small business owners who are struggling because bank credit has dried up," he writes. "Finally, I will consider my service in the United States Senate a success when parents can provide a good education for their children and support their families. It's time to have a Georgian in Washington who will put you and your family first. This will happen only with vision, new leadership and a new direction."

Sources:

All information in this article derived from email correspondence with Mike Thurmond facilitated through Quinn Hudson of the Hudson Group, Inc., a public relations firm.