Special Election Today In Georgia's 10th District

The special election to replace the late Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.) is being held today in northeast Georgia. If none of the 10 candidates wins a majority of the vote, the top two finishers will face off in a runoff, to be held on July 17.

The leading candidate is GOP state Sen. Jim Whitehead, who has argued he’s the logical, conservative successor to Norwood. Norwood’s widow cut a radio advertisement endorsing Whitehead for Congress and he has promoted his frontrunner status since entering the race. 

Given the large field, it’s unlikely that Whitehead can capture a majority even in the heavily Republican district.  The runoff could be an interesting conservative battle if one of the conservative activists -- Bill Greene or physician Paul Broun -- places in the runoff. Greene and Broun have attacked Whitehead for being soft on immigration, which has become a provocative topic in Georgia.

If Democratic Internet executive James Marlow advances to the runoff, Whitehead would be the heavy favorite in a district that gave President Bush 65 percent of the vote in 2004.