The race for Senate Seat 13 - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

The race for Senate Seat 13

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June 21, 2004

Ashburn-- Navigating the new State Senate District 13 is no small feat.

The candidates can drive hundreds of miles to get around the eight counties in the district.

Republicans Carden Summers and Joseph Carter credit time management and lots of hand shaking with getting their messages out in time for the July 20th primary.

Lunch time politicking at the Ashburn Shoney's, "I love Georgia. But, I am for our area and our area means South Georgia folks," says candidate Carden Summers.

Between bites of food, Senate Seat 13 Republican candidate Carden Summers talks shop with the Ashburn Rotary Club, "I know how important water is and I know we finally have something Atlanta wants and if they want it they darn sure are going to have to pay for it--big time."

Issues like water concern this rural-minded audience--as do taxes, "I am wore out with property taxes." Carden Summers wants a flat sales tax for real estate.

"If you take a 7% sales tax you pay it one time and it's your property. If it sells, somebody else pays 7%. We will make more money and people will be a lot happier."

The Crisp County real estate developer came close to defeating Senator Rooney Bowen two years ago. The newly redrawn district he is now fighting for is larger with more counties. The district comprises of Lee, Turner, Tift, Ben Hill, Irwin, Worth, Crisp and the southeast corner of Wilcox.

Summers game plan is, "I work a county that day. Today I am in Turner County, I work Turner County all day. Tomorrow I'll be in Worth County, I work Worth County all day."

Summers opponent is walking a similar campaign path too, "We are trying to talk to everyone we can about the issues that are important to them, " says Joseph Carter.

Today, Republican Joseph Carter is in Lee County, "Healthcare, the HOPE scholarship, education, water, a lot of those issues touch every corner of this district and we are all in that fight together."

This Tifton lawyer says the massive district has parallel issues--including the reality of a dwindling population, "The only way I think we can really combat that is too make sure we have community leaders and business leaders involved in the process."

Now, this business leader wants to get involved in the process--just like his opponent. Carter says, "We have different ideas about what this office is about and what you do as a state senator. We will see what the voters decide in July."

Joseph Carter is a Tifton School Board Member. Carden Summers is a former Crisp County commissioner.

Howard Rainey is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Posted at 4:27 p.m. by melissa.kill@walb.com