It's Sue's Party

Sunday, May 20, 2007 3:29 AM EDT
E-mail this story to a friend | Printable version

By Marcus E. Howard

Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer

DULUTH - Longtime Republican activist Sue Everhart of Marietta was elected chairman of the Georgia Republican Party Saturday during its convention, becoming the first woman to ascend to the post.

She succeeds chairman Alec Poitevint, who was first elected in 2003. The only other challenger in the chairman race, former Cobb Republican Party Chairman Anthony-Scott Hobbs, dropped out in April.

"Even though we know that my opponent got out of the race - and maybe ya'll were expecting it - it is still the most humbling thing that has ever happened to me," Ms. Everhart said. "And it is the greatest compliment that anyone can ever receive, as fellow Republicans choose you to be their leader."

A former banker, in just five years the 64-year-old Ms. Everhart rose from president of the Cobb Republican Women's Club to chairman of Georgia's 6th Congressional District Republican Caucus, to first vice-chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, a position she held prior to her election Saturday.

Her political career began in Columbia, S.C., as a teenager passing out handbills at a local Piggly Wiggly grocery store for former U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond's campaign.

Ms. Everhart has since worked with quite a few GOP power players. She worked for former U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich's 1992 campaign after a stint with the Fulton County Republican Party.

"I promise you that I will do everything in my power not to let you down. This is one for the grassroots," she said to the audience of more than 1,000 party faithful, including about 150 delighted Cobb delegates. The two-day convention, which began Friday, was held at the Gwinnett County Civic Center in Duluth.

Standing at the podium in the front of the hall decorated with various campaign banners, Everhart recalled the first time she told anyone about her plans to run for chairman, saying the person told her she didn't have a chance.

"I thought about it after a while and said, 'it's possible that somebody who 10 years ago was president of the women's club in Cobb County could move on through the ranks and be chairman of the Georgia Republican Party,'" she remembered.

"I worked hard through the years to get here. I don't know everything, but with your help I will learn everything."

Cobb GOP Chairman Scott Johnson said Ms. Everhart's ascension to the state chairmanship is good news for the county.

"It couldn't be better for the folks in Cobb County and me as chairman because we know that we will have support at the state party level and a good advocate there," Johnson said. "We're expecting maybe a future convention in the coming years to come to Cobb County, a future statewide convention like this one."

Despite a bit of rankling earlier in the day between Gov. Sonny Perdue and state House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) trading jabs over the party's state budget fight this past legislative session and displeasure over U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss (R-Moultrie) and Johnny Isakson's (R-east Cobb) support of a recent national immigration reform bill, delegates at the convention said the event helped to heal some wounds.

Wearing campaign stickers and carrying signs supporting their favorite candidates, they made an effort to put the best possible face on the convention, with some describing it as "positive" and "supportive."

"There were rumors that there would be this or that done or that people would maybe walk out while various people were speaking," Johnson said. "I think it shows while we may not agree on every issue, we can come together as Republicans and agree on what's important."

Patrick Gartland, a delegate from east Cobb, said he thought politicians at the convention got the message from delegates that the infighting wasn't helping anyone in the party.

"I think the legislators seeing the people who came here realized that, hey, we want those jobs done and no fighting, just get the job done and we're going to be a whole lot happier," Gartland said.

Northeast Cobb Commissioner Tim Lee said he thought disagreement over budget legislation at the Capitol did not impact the election of party officials.

"Even though we had some speakers today who represented both sides of that issue down there at the Legislature," Lee said. "I don't think the folks here let it influence how they responded to the slate of officers they wanted to elect today."

The only excitement to a fairly routine party convention was election of the state GOP's first vice-chairman. It took two rounds of voting and a self-withdrawal by one of three candidates to elect Rob Doll, a car dealership owner from Columbus, to the position.

The most significant internal issue taken up at the convention Saturday was a unanimous vote by delegates on the convention floor against a proposal by the party's rules committee to shrink the size of the state party's executive committee. Delegates voiced concern that such a change would give smaller counties less representation.

mhoward@mdjonline.com