The 2008 presidential primaries will be held Feb. 5 next year in Georgia, and local Republicans in leadership roles are satisfied with the field of candidates their party has generated.

But those same Republicans admit that citizens who attend their meetings and other functions are ambivalent toward the party’s presidential candidates.

“I think we have a good field of candidates,” said Lane Watts of Fayetteville, the Republican chairman of the 3rd Congressional District. “Locally, though, I’m not learning much from people. A lot of people are still up in the air. Nobody has lined up with one side. Some people are laying back. They may not be too terribly excited about the candidates.”

“Compared to the alternatives on the Democratic side, we’re very excited about our candidates,” said Josh Bonner, chairman of the Fayette County Republican Party. “But I think all Republicans wish that there would be one single candidate that would address all the issues we care about to our satisfaction. I really don’t know at this point whom local Republicans would support. Within our meetings and get-togethers, there hasn’t been one candidate who has been supported more than the others.

“We’re still trying to find out more about their positions on the issues. A lot depends on who the other side narrows in on. There is still some time out there to decide.”

One Republican who is considering running for the Republican presidential nomination and would generate significant interest locally, Watts said, is former Speaker of the House and Georgia Rep. Newt Gingrich.

“Newt would bring a lot of good ideas to the table,” Watts said. “I’ve known Newt for quite awhile. He has the desire to run.

“If he wants to run and be of service, he definitely would do well. He’s well-liked among local Republicans.”

Bonner also feels Gingrich would be embraced by local Republicans.

“I think Newt would be a great candidate,” Bonner said. “He could defend the conservative positions all day. I know a lot of Republicans who like Newt.”

Another Republican wild card who has yet to announce he’s running for president but is considering entering the race is former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson.

Thompson is well-liked in the South; Strategic Vision, LLC conducted a three-day poll last month of 800 likely voters in Georgia, and when the 368 Republican voters who were surveyed were asked whom they would support in 2008 for the Republican presidential nomination, Thompson garnered the most support, receiving 25 percent, followed by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who received 20 percent. Gingrich received a paltry 7 percent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

“Fred Thompson is a very attractive candidate,” Watts said. “He seems to have generated a lot of interest among the Republican base. Being from a neighboring state, he would be widely accepted. I think he would get people out to work for him and vote for him.

“He has a really good way of communicating, and he has a very conservative record. The question is whether he’ll sustain [his popularity] once he gets into the race.”

“Fred’s got a good conservative record,” Bonner said. “He’s already done some fund-raising in Georgia. But until he announces, it’s just talk.”

Among the candidates who are officially in the running for the Republican presidential nomination, Giuliani is perhaps the most controversial. His socially liberal views have turned off many Republicans, but not Bonner, Watts and other local Republicans. In fact, one local Republican, Sean Donnelly, a Fayette County native, is helping further Giuliani’s cause, serving as executive director of Giuliani’s campaign for Georgia.

“I really don’t have any problems with his views on social issues,” Bonner said. “As far as he’s concerned, North, South, East, West, people can identify with him as a leader. He had some very distinct accomplishments in New York.”

“A lot of local Republicans are giving a hard look at Giuliani,” Watts said. “Some people don’t like his views on socially liberal issues, like abortion, gay rights and gun control. But he has said that he would appoint strict constructionist judges to the Supreme Court, which could allay a lot of conservative voters’ fears. I must admit, I was put off by him at first because of his socially liberal views, but how he handled Sept. 11 and ran New York changed my mind about him.”

Debbie Groninger, first vice chairman of the Fayette County Republican Party, was called three times for this story, but she declined to call back.

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