Two Vie To Chair State Democratic Party | Georgia Public Broadcasting

The often-unmentioned part of the puzzle is why anyone would want to run for Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia. One good reason? Federal patronage and connections to the Obama and DNC national organizations. Those would be great assets for someone with an eye on public office beyond 2014.

ATLANTA — Two candidates have come forward for next month’s election of the Democratic Party of Georgia’s new chair. The winner will have to raise money for the party, and rebuild it following the ouster of the last chair, Mike Berlon (in photo).

Two candidates have come forward for next month’s election of the Democratic Party of Georgia’s new chair. The winner will have to raise money for the party, and rebuild it following the ouster of the last chair, Mike Berlon (in photo).

Two candidates have come forward for next month’s election of the Democratic Party of Georgia’s new chair. The winner will have to raise money for the party, and rebuild it following the ouster of the last chair.

Doug Stoner and Mary Squires are the first two candidates to announce.

Stoner, a former Senator from Atlanta, lost his seat last year after redistricting changes.

Squires, from Gwinnett County, served two terms in the state House and one in the state Senate. She served in the legislature until 2005.

[Georgia Report editor Tom] Crawford offers a reason why the party has struggled to field good Democratic candidates.

“There have been complaints for a long time from candidates running for office that they were not getting the help and the support you would expect from the state Party,” he said.

via Two Vie To Chair State Democratic Party.