ATLANTA — The campaign trail in Georgia is getting crowded.
With
less than three weeks left until the state's March 6 presidential
primary, candidates in the topsy-turvy Republican race are turning their
attention to Super Tuesday's biggest prize.
Newt Gingrich will
play up his roots when he returns to his old home state to campaign for
two days, beginning with a rally in Peachtree City Friday night.
Surging
after a trio of wins in recent weeks, Rick Santorum will focus on his
evangelical base, appearing Sunday night at a "God and Country" rally at
First Redeemer Church in Cumming.
Mitt Romney headlined a rally
in Atlanta last week and a political action committee backing the former
Massachusetts governor has purchased a modest amount of air time in the
state to run an anti-Gingrich ad. And Romney campaign spokeswoman
Andrea Saul said Thursday the candidate plans to spend "a lot of time
campaigning in Georgia and Ohio ahead of Super Tuesday."
With 76 delegates at stake — the most of the 10 Super Tuesday states — the three GOP candidates are eying Georgia closely.
Texas
Congressman Ron Paul won a Republican Party straw poll in the state
last summer but hasn't been seen in the state campaigning.
Gingrich
clearly holds an edge. The former House speaker represented a suburban
Atlanta district for two decades and was in the trenches building up the
state Republican Party at a time when Democrats dominated Georgia
politics.
A recent poll confirmed Gingrich's front-runner status
in the state. The survey, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling &
Research Inc., found Gingrich leading Romney 43 percent to 29 percent
among likely voters in Georgia.
Santorum had 12 percent, while Paul trailed with 6 percent.
"There's still a little bit of a favorite son aspect to Newt," former state Republican Party Chairman Chuck Clay said.
But Clay also said while the other candidates can afford a poor showing in the state, for Gingrich it's a must-win.
"A
loss here is catastrophic," Clay said. "A win, along with a strong
showing in some other southern states, puts the wind back in his sails."
Gingrich has the support of Gov. Nathan Deal and most of the state's U.S. House delegation.
Still,
the anti-Gingrich television ad that began airing in the state this
week seems designed to make Gingrich defend his old home turf. The ad
resurrects Gingrich's baggage and is paid for by the pro-Romney PAC,
Restore Our Future.
Santorum has the weakest organization in
Georgia, but is sparking fresh interest after pulling out surprising
wins in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri.
Local Santorum
supporters held a planning meeting in Stone Mountain on Monday. State
Public Service Commission Chairman Tim Echols, a Santorum backer, said
that in the coming weeks supporters would be launching an old-fashioned,
door-to door effort to round up support.
Echols said Santorum was
the most similar to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the
state's presidential primary in 2008.
"He has the momentum," Echols said. "And he shares our values."
Although
former Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain threw his support to
Gingrich, some of Cain's backers have moved to Santorum.
Savannah tea party leader Jeanne Seaver said she was attracted to the former Pennsylvania senator's ideological purity.
"To me, he is a real conservative," she said. "We just have to get that message out there."
Attorney
General Sam Olens, Romney's top backer in the state, said he expected
the GOP candidate would be back in the state before Super Tuesday.
In-person early voting began Monday and turnout has been light so far.
Absentee and in-person early voting has so far totaled 22,924, according to state elections officials.
In 2008, with both primaries contested there were 247,897 ballots cast early, or 12.2 percent of the total ballots cast.
Republican strategist Tom Perdue said he had detected a lack of enthusiasm as he has talked to fellow Republicans.
"And if we can't get excited about getting this president out of office then we are in big trouble." Perdue said
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during a campaign stop with Asian-American leaders at the Korea Times Thursday in Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo)
