Grassroots candidate makes mark

While there will be some “big name” candidates seeking the highest elected office in 2010, there are a couple of candidates who are doing it the old-fashioned way: through the grassroots approach.
One such candidate is Ray McBerry, who is making his second run for governor, having been the only Republican to step up and challenge Sonny Perdue four years ago.

While McBerry got in the 2006 race late, he still made an impact and made some in the state Republican Party establishment rather nervous with his candidacy. (Some high-ranking state party officials simply pretended McBerry didn’t exist.)

That won’t be possible this time around as McBerry has already launched his campaign with months ahead of him and his ever-growing team of volunteers. In just a few months on the campaign trail, McBerry has put together 250 coordinators across the state as well as a team of 800 volunteers.
The tireless McBerry has already been from one end of the state to the other spreading his campaign message of “Not Atlanta, Not Washington, But Georgia First.” His message is catching on as evident by the number of volunteers who are giving of their time to work in the trenches for him.

Also working in McBerry’s favor is the fact he is not a career politician. Unlike Karen Handel, who simply used the Secretary of State’s office for a springboard to run for Governor, McBerry can easily be seen as a regular working Georgian, like many of those who will go to their respective polls next year.

McBerry is having to fight to perception that the other “big name” candidates are the favorites in the race, but Republican primary voters should remember one thing. McBerry is the only candidate in the race to this point who had the foresight to run against Perdue in 2006. None of the other candidates (be they Republican or Democrat) were willing to step forward and challenge the incumbent. That alone makes McBerry worth considering.

The McBerry Express will continue to tour the state in coming months as the 2010 primary approaches. I doubt there will be a candidate in any statewide race who will have shaken more hands, spoke to more civic clubs or walked in more parades than McBerry by the time the primary arrives next summer.
As we get closer to the 2010 governor’s race, you will see many slicked up candidates from both parties. A former governor is also in the running. But if you are looking for someone who is not a career politician, someone who truly understands what it’s like to be a working man and someone who takes grassroots campaigning to heart, then McBerry deserves a strong look.

After eight years of our current governor, the next person to occupy the position needs to be a strong leader. Perhaps the best candidate for that position may be the one some “experts” say doesn’t have a chance.

Chris Bridges is an editor with Mainstreet Newspapers. You can reach him at chris@mainstreetnews.com.