By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Peachtree City resident Lewis Jordan plans to announce today his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in November to replace one of his close friends, Sen. Paul Coverdell, who died unexpectedly last month, Jordan told The Citizen Tuesday. Jordan is the former head of ValuJet, now known as AirTran Airlines.

“I told the convention [Tuesday] morning that I plan to return to Georgia [Wednesday] and qualify for the seat and announce my candidacy,” Jordan said Tuesday from Philadelphia where he was attending the Republican National Convention. “As carefully as my family and I have studied this, it's hard to say anything will change between now and then.”

Jordan said national and state Republican leaders began to contact him last Wednesday to convince him to run for the seat. If he secures the Republican nomination, Jordan would face former Gov. Zell Miller, who was appointed by current Gov. Roy Barnes to replace Coverdell until the November election.

Jordan contends that Miller won't vote like Coverdell would have on several key issues, and that persuaded him to seriously consider running for the seat.

“There were also some indications that some of our current congressmen would run for the seat: Bob Barr and Jack Kingston,” Jordan said, adding that he did not want to oppose either lawmaker. “But they both contacted me and informed me they would not run for the seat. At that point, I said I would seriously consider it.”

Jordan said the death of Coverdell, also a Republican, hit him hard. He recalled a prediction from Sen. Coverdell during a fund-raiser that took place in Jordan's home approximately two years ago.

“That's when I first heard him say that George W. Bush will be the next President of the United States,” Jordan recalled.

Jordan, 56, is the founder of ValuJet Airlines, which is now known as AirTran. He still sits on the company's board of directors as the largest shareholder.

Currently, Jordan operates Wingspread Enterprises, an investment and consulting firm that helps fund start-up companies.

Jordan and his wife, Peggy, have six grown children. The couple lives at their home in the Interlochen subdivision, where they moved in 1993 when ValuJet started up in Atlanta.