Two years ago, Columbia County was the face of Georgia's emerging Republican political clout.
No longer.
Not only did the county lose a potential congressman in Tuesday's primary, but it also will lose a leader in the Legislature when state Rep. Barry Fleming steps down at the end of the year.
To make a run for U.S. Congress, Mr. Fleming, of Harlem, chose not to run for re-election to his House District 117 seat. The jump for national office, however, proved costly. Paul Broun, an Athens-area physician, easily defeated Mr. Fleming, taking about 70 percent of Tuesday's vote. Mr. Fleming failed to win in any of the 21 counties in the 10th District, including his own.
Such disappointments are a far cry from just two years ago, when Columbia County boasted significant leadership influence in both Atlanta and Washington.
Things began to change, observers say, with the February 2007 death of U.S. Congressman Charlie Norwood, who lived in both Augusta and Columbia County.
A chance to replace Mr. Norwood with a Columbia County resident failed when state Sen. Jim Whitehead -- a strong and well-financed politician, was upset by Mr. Broun, losing by fewer than 400 votes.
Mr. Fleming will join Mr. Whitehead in political retirement. He is being replaced by former County Commissioner Lee Anderson.
And though he will take Mr. Fleming's seat in the House, observers say Mr. Anderson will have to wait to take a role in any leadership positions that had been held by his predecessor -- the House majority whip.
Still, Columbia County will keep its ace -- state Rep. Ben Harbin, of Evans, who won his re-election bid Tuesday to keep his state House seat and position as the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. However, Mr. Harbin's reputation has been tarnished after an alleged drunken driving incident last year in Atlanta and repeated delays in the court case to adjudicate the matter.
Some say the county can regroup. Scott Dean, a former Harlem mayor elected Tuesday to the County Commission, said Wednesday he believed the county can overcome its recent losses.
"I think we've got issues we've got to get ourselves together around, but I think we still stand out as a strong Republican county," he said. "We've just got to get back to work."
Holding a high legislative position matters less to some than listening to the wishes of residents.
"Barry really did very little, as far as the county commission is concerned," said Columbia County Commission Chairman Ron Cross. "Paul Broun has really given us more attention in the past six or eight months than we got from our own people in the last four or five years."
Reach Donnie Fetter at (706) 868-1222, ext. 115, or donnie.fetter@augustachronicle.com.
