Cagle over 'biggest hurdle'
By JARED PUTNAM
Union Sentinel Editor

Senator Casey Cagle, Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor, speaks to supporter Justin Melick at the barbecue for Sonny Perdue.

Fresh off securing the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, Senator Casey Cagle spoke to the Union Sentinel, explaining that he was both excited and comforted by his overwhelming win over opponent Ralph Reed, and seemingly, even a little surprised.

"Tuesday night was beyond anything we could have imagined," said Senator Cagle. "[The people of north Georgia] turned out very strong for us. That really was a deciding factor in the overall campaign."

Among the north Georgians who can be counted in the Cagle camp is Senator Zell Miller, who had previously backed Ralph Reed in his bid for the nomination. When asked about his thoughts on Reed's defeat, Senator Miller simply said that he had just told Cagle that he now supports him.

Meanwhile Senator Cagle said that although his work is not yet finished, he is confident heading into the general election. "Our biggest hurdle was this hurdle," said Senator Cagle, referring to his comfortable yet somewhat improbable win over Reed. "I feel very optimistic for November."

Perdue supporters serve BBQ to the crowds that attended Friday's campaign rally.

Senator Cagle received just over 225,000 votes (56 percent) while his opponent Reed

received slightly over 175,000 votes (44 percent). Union County was fairly representative of the statewide vote, as Cagle received 1,568 votes (54.41 percent) while Reed received 1,314 votes (45.59 percent).

In the general election Senator Cagle will face a still to be determined Democrat nominee. The race for the Democrat nomination has been narrowed down to Greg Hecht and Jim Martin, who now face an August 8 runoff to decide who will face off against Senator Cagle.

A father to three school-age boys, Senator Cagle reiterated that education is his biggest passion. "We want to improve our public school system and [to do that] we have to make some specific changes. One of those is changing to a block grant funding formula that allows each local school system to meet the needs of their own individual students."

He also touched on the issue of job creation for Georgians, but acknowledged that a politician is not a direct pipeline to economic development. "Government doesn't create jobs," said the state senator, "but government creates the right environment for that to happen."

This week Senator Cagle returned to the campaign trail, after taking a few days to rest and savor his victory. The man who was until recently, a relatively unknown legislator outside northeast Georgia, is still working hard to get out the message of who he is.