By JANET McGREGOR
jmac_snippets@hotmail.com

Forty-eight Fayette County Republicans joined Republicans from all over Georgia Friday and Saturday for the Georgia Republican State Convention in Savannah.

While the business of selecting delegates for the National Convention and passing amendments for recommendation to the national GOP are the main reasons for the convention, it is also a way for local Republicans to meet their elected officials and to get information first-hand.

Numerous speakers took the podium throughout the two-day event. U.S. Rep. Mac Collins, U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell, state school superintendent Linda Schrenko, U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, Johnny Isakson and Jack Kingston were just a few of the elected officials who attended and spoke to the 2,000-plus crowd. There were a total of 1,460 delegates.

Various officials hosted receptions in the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center and the adjoining Westin Savannah Harbour Resort. A well-attended reception was hosted Friday night for Public Service Commissioner Stan Wise, Georgia's only statewide Republican incumbent in the 2000 election.

A luncheon reception for Ginger Collins, who is running as an independent for state representative, House District 29, attracted not only a large crowd, but a large number of donations. Collins, a Republican, has stepped in to run as an independent for the seat vacated by Randy Sauders whose last-minute switch from Republican to Democrat was a topic of conversation throughout the weekend.

Incumbent Sauders filed as a Republican for reelection, then switched minutes before the filing deadline to run as a Democrat, leaving Republicans without a candidate in the race. A number of local Fayette County Republicans showed their support for Collins' willingness to jump in at the last minute by making a donation to her campaign.

Another topic of discussion was a lawsuit filed by the state Democratic Party which contended that numerous Republican candidates had missed the recent Friday qualifying deadline by a few minutes. They were asking that the candidates involved be disqualified from running. Monday morning after the convention, all but one of the suits were thrown out by the courts.

Ambassador Alan Keyes was the keynote speaker at the convention breakfast and the first guest speaker Saturday. Keyes is reported to have stated he will leave the Republican Party and join the Constitution Party if George W. Bush chooses a vice presidential running mate who does not oppose abortion, or if the GOP softens its stance against abortion.

Keyes received numerous standing ovations during his talk, which focused on standing firm for integrity of principles, commitment to moral principles and what he titled “American truth.”

State Rep. Sharon Cooper was honored as the Republican “Legislator of the Year” by the state party.

Twenty-three resolutions were passed by convention attendees. The resolutions will be submitted to the National Republican Party for consideration to be included in the national party platform. The resolutions included a recommendation to oppose hate crime legislation, to support the display of the 10 Commandments in public places, to ban partial birth abortions and to support the Fair Tax Act as introduced by U.S. Rep. John Linder.

Twenty-one delegates and 21 alternates were selected to attend and represent Georgia at the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, July 31 - Aug. 3. Other delegates were elected in April at district conventions throughout the state. Two from Fayette County were selected at the district level to attend the National Convention, Jean Stoddard and Kathy Chamberlain. Barbara Scruggs from Coweta County also was selected to represent the 3rd congressional District.

The two-day convention wrapped up Saturday afternoon.