In yesterday's Democratic primary to select a nominee to face GOP incumbent Gov. Sonny Perdue, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor defeated Secretary of State Cathy Cox, 52 percent to 44 percent. Two minor candidates combined for the remaining 4 percent.
Cox started the primary contest with a 20-point advantage in some polls, but was not able to sustain Taylor's attacks on her record. He criticized her votes against ending the sales tax on food and for opposing a state lottery to fund the HOPE scholarship program. Her own efforts to attack Taylor on a host of issues from cronyism to using prison labor in his family business seemed over the top and Taylor responded to them effectively. Cox often looked like an inept candidate.
Perdue had been considered a long shot when he defeated Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes in 2002. He had a rocky start, but has improved his standing among voters over the past year or so. He got high marks for his handling of the influx of New Orleans residents who fled to the state after Hurricane Katrina.
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