Georgia gubernatorial election, 1994

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Georgia gubernatorial election of 1994

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←  1990 November 8, 1994 1998  →

  Zell B Miller.jpg No image.svg
Nominee Zell Miller Guy Millner
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote788,926756,371
Percentage51.0%48.9%

GACounties94Gub.png

Election results by county
Miller:     
Millner     
Governor before election

Zell Miller
Democratic

Elected Governor

Zell Miller
Democratic

The 1994 Georgia gubernatorial election occurred on November 8, 1994, to elect the next Governor of Georgia from 1995 to 1999. Incumbent Democratic Governor Zell Miller, first elected in 1990, ran for a second term. In his party's primary, Miller received three challengers, but easily prevailed with just over 70% of the vote. The contest for the Republican nomination, however, was a competitive race. As no candidate received a majority of the vote, John Knox and Guy Millner advanced to a run-off election. Millner was victorious and received the Republican nomination after garnering 59.41% of the vote.

Democratic Party (United States) political party in the United States

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party.

Zell Miller politician and United States Marine Corps officer

Zell Bryan Miller was an American author and politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. A Democrat, Miller served as lieutenant governor from 1975 to 1991, 79th Governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as U.S. Senator from 2000 to 2005.

Contents

The general election was a competitive race between Zell Miller and Guy Millner. Issues such as welfare reform, education, and the removal of the Confederate battle flag from Georgia's state flag dominated the election. On election day, Miller defeated Millner 51.05%-48.95% in the second-closest gubernatorial election in Georgian history – behind only the 1966 election – since Reconstruction due to the strong Republican wave of 1994. Although the state was becoming increasingly more Republican, Democrats would retain the Governor's mansion until 2003.

Welfare reforms are changes in the operation of a given welfare system, with the goals of reducing the number of individuals dependent on government assistance, keeping the welfare systems affordable, and assisting recipients become self-sufficient. Classical liberals, libertarians, and conservatives generally argue that welfare and other tax-funded services reduce incentives to work, exacerbate the free-rider problem, and intensify poverty. Socialists, on the other hand, generally criticize welfare reform because it usually minimizes the public safety net, and strengthens the capitalist economic system. Welfare reform is constantly debated because of the varying opinions on the government's determined balance of providing guaranteed welfare benefits, and promoting self-sufficiency.

Flag of Georgia (U.S. state) flag of the state of Georgia, United States

The current flag of the state of Georgia was adopted on May 8, 2003. The flag bears three stripes consisting of red-white-red, and a blue canton containing a ring of 13 white stars encompassing the state's coat of arms in gold. In the coat of arms, the arch symbolizes the state's constitution and the pillars represent the three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The words of the state motto, "Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation", are wrapped around the pillars, guarded by a male figure dressed in colonial attire dating back to the time of the American Revolutionary War. Within the arms, a sword is drawn to represent the defense of the state's constitution. An additional motto, In God We Trust, is positioned underneath these elements acting as the state's "foundation". The ring of stars that encompass the state's coat of arms symbolize Georgia's status as one of the original Thirteen Colonies. The design principle is based on the first national flag of the Confederacy, which was nicknamed the "Stars and Bars".

Background

Incumbent Governor Zell Miller (D) chose to run for re-election in 1994. Early in his first term, Miller's approval rating fell significantly after attempting to gain legislative support for removing the Confederate battle flag from Georgia's state flag. [1] Miller wanted the Confederate battle flag removed before Atlanta hosted Super Bowl XXVIII and the 1996 Summer Olympics, [2] but backed down in March 1993 after it became apparent that the Georgia House of Representatives would not support this proposal. [3] However, following the same legislative session, Miller's popularity began to recover after bills were passed that initiated his welfare reform proposals. Miller's disapproval promptly decreased to 29% and fell further to 25% about a year later. [1]

Atlanta Capital of Georgia, United States

Atlanta is the capital of, and the most populous city in, the U.S. state of Georgia. With an estimated 2017 population of 486,290, it is also the 38th most-populous city in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5.8 million people and the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the nation. Atlanta is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia. A small portion of the city extends eastward into neighboring DeKalb County.

Super Bowl XXVIII 1994 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1993 season. The Cowboys defeated the Bills by the score of 30–13, winning their fourth Super Bowl in team history, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers for most Super Bowl wins. The game was played on January 30, 1994, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. Since the 1993 regular season was conducted over 18 weeks, the traditional bye week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl was not employed; the last time this happened was before Super Bowl XXV.

1996 Summer Olympics Games of the XXVI Olympiad, in Atlanta

The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, commonly known as Atlanta 1996, and also referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games, were an international multi-sport event that was held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. These Games, which were the fourth Summer Olympics to be hosted by the United States, marked the century of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens—the inaugural edition of the modern Olympic Games. They were also the first since 1924 to be held in a different year from a Winter Olympics, under a new IOC practice implemented in 1994 to hold the Summer and Winter Games in alternating, even-numbered years.

A week prior to the scheduled primary elections on July 12, 14 polling locations in the southwestern portion of the state were either underwater or serving as emergency shelters as a result of the disastrous flooding wrought by Tropical Storm Alberto. State officials began discussing delaying the primary elections. However, on July 19, turnout exceeded predictions. [4]

Tropical Storm Alberto (1994) Atlantic tropical storm in 1994

Tropical Storm Alberto was the costliest and first named storm of the 1994 Atlantic hurricane season. It hit Florida across the Southeast United States in July, causing massive flooding while stalling over Georgia and Alabama. Alberto was responsible for $1.03 billion in damages and 32 deaths.

Democratic primary

Campaign

Despite pledging in 1990 to serve only one term, incumbent Governor Zell Miller announced his re-election bid on June 16, 1993. [5] During the next 12 months, three other Democrats entered the primary, they included perennial candidate Jim Boyd, State Representative Charles "Judy" Poag, and Korean War veteran Mark Tate. Boy and Poag attacked Miller for attempting to change the state flag and increasing fees for driver's licenses, car tags, and sporting licenses. Miller defended other portions of his record, including the establishment of the Georgia Lottery, the passage of a $100 million tax cut, and a bill proposed that would take a tougher stance on violent criminals. In May 1994, Mark Tate was convicted of attempting defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs out of $99,000 by falsely claiming he had no other source of income. His sentencing was scheduled for July 19, the day of the primary. However, Tate's name remained on the ballot. [6]

A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for an elected office but seldom wins. The term is not generally extended to incumbent politicians who successfully defend their seats repeatedly.

Georgia Lottery organization

The Georgia Lottery Corporation, known as the Georgia Lottery, is overseen by the government of Georgia, United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the lottery takes in over US$1 billion yearly. By law, half of the money goes to prizes, one-third to education, and the remainder to operating and marketing the lottery. The education money funds the HOPE Scholarship, and has become a successful model for other lotteries, including the South Carolina Education Lottery.

United States Department of Veterans Affairs department of the United States government

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a federal Cabinet-level agency that provides near-comprehensive healthcare services to eligible military veterans at VA medical centers and outpatient clinics located throughout the country; several non-healthcare benefits including disability compensation, vocational rehabilitation, education assistance, home loans, and life insurance; and provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible veterans and family members at 135 national cemeteries.

Candidates

Georgias 9th congressional district

Georgia's 9th congressional district is represented by Republican Doug Collins.

Results

Miller easily prevailed against the other three Democrats, winning just over 70% of the vote, compared to 17.06% for Boyd, 6.69% for Tate, and 6.23% for Poag. Because Miller received a majority of the votes, he immediately advanced to the general election without a run-off. [7]

Democratic primary results [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Zell Miller 321,96370.03
Democratic Jim Boyd78,44417.06
Democratic Mark Tate30,7496.69
Democratic Charles "Judy" Poag28,6236.23
Total votes459,779100.00

Republican primary

Campaign

Five Republicans entered to compete for the party nomination, including former State House Minority Leader Paul W. Heard, Jr., former Mayor of Waycross John Knox, Atlanta management consultant Nimrod McNair, businessman Guy Millner, and Tift County developer Leonard Morris. Then-State Senator Johnny Isakson, Miller's 1990 general election opponent, announced his intention to run again on June 16, 1993. [5] However, he apparently withdrew from the race well before the primary in July 1994. Bert Lance, a Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Jimmy Carter, predicted a run-off in the Republican primary. He also believed that Miller would face a tougher re-election against Paul Heard, citing his legislative experience and noting that, "Paul knows the state well and has the potential to be a strong candidate." During the primary, Heard pledged to reduce taxes and improve education, while attacking Miller's new prison release program, which, in Heard's opinion, un-incarcerated too many criminals. Similarly, Knox promised to cut income tax by $250 million in his first year in office, reform education, and make prison "hard time". Millner pledged to decrease taxes, make Georgia's education the top-ranking in the Southern United States, reform welfare, and force violent criminal to serve their entire sentence.

Candidates

Results

Polling

SourceDateMiller (D)Millner (R)
WXIA-TV Nov. 6, 199448%41%

General election

Results

Georgia gubernatorial election, 1994 [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Democratic Zell Miller (inc.) 788,926 51.05% -1.83%
Republican Guy Millner 756,37148.95%+4.41%
Majority32,5552.11%-6.24%
Turnout 1,545,297
Democratic hold Swing

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References

  1. 1 2 Hana E. Brown. "Policy Context and the Racialization of Welfare Reform". Berkeley, California: University of California, Berkeley. p. 13. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  2. ↑ Eric Harrison and Edith Stanley (May 29, 1992). "Georgia Governor Wants to Lower Confederate Flag: South: Under pressure from civil rights groups, he will push for removal of battle cross from state banner". Los Angeles Times . Atlanta, Georgia. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  3. ↑ "South's Emblem To Be Retained On Georgia Flag". The New York Times . March 10, 1993. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  4. ↑ "The Flood of 1994, a day-by-day account". The Albany Herald . June 27, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Georgia Governor Breaks Vow Not To Seek 2nd Term". Orlando Sentinel . Atlanta, Georgia. June 18, 1993. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ John M. Willis (June 22, 1994). "Lance: Who Will Face Zell?". Calhoun Times and Gordon County News. p. 7. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ "1994 Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Election Results – Georgia". uselectionatlas.org. May 16, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  8. ↑ http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/1998_0721/summary.htm
  9. ↑ http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/1994/gov.htm
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