U.S. Rep. Saxby

Chambliss proved to be a huge draw for the Fayette County Republican Party's

First Saturday breakfast this past weekend.

Every seat

was filled with local residents who either supported the U.S. Senate hopeful

or were interested in finding out more about the candidate. Anyone walking

into the banquet room would have believed they were definitely in Chambliss

territory as the majority were sporting his campaign stickers.

Chambliss has

become a well known figure since Sept. 11 due to his job as chairman of

the House subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security. President George

W. Bush, who is openly supporting Chambliss in his bid to unseat Georgia's

senior senator, Max Cleland, asked Chambliss to introduce him to the Atlanta

audience last Thursday and spoke glowingly of his accomplishments.

Chambliss is

better known in Georgia as the 8th District congressman. Last year's redrawing

of districts put Chambliss into the same district as his longtime good

friend Jack Kingston. He had been considering a run for the office currently

held by Max Cleland prior to the district changes, and learning he would

have to run against Kingston to keep his seat finalized the decision.

Chambliss opened

with a brief overview of himself. An attorney for the past 26 years, he

hails from Moultrie, Ga., and is the son of a minister. He and wife Julianne

have two children and two grandchildren. He ran unsuccessfully for office

a number of times before finally being "fortunate enough to be elected."

Chambliss spoke

glowingly of Bush, saying "What you see is what you get. He is plain

spoken and down to earth." He said while Bush is a "good, strong

Republican," the president understands the need to reach across the

aisle to get anything done "without compromising any of his principles."

The majority

of Chambliss' talk centered on his accomplishments, his goals and his

intentions for the Senate run against Cleland. Saying he intends to run

a "strong, positive campaign," he outlined the two main areas

the campaign would focus on Cleland's "liberal" voting record

and leadership ability.

In soft, easygoing

tones, he touched on a few Cleland votes he felt went against the majority

of voters' wishes and stated that Cleland is not "even thought of

as a player in our own state, much less in Washington, D.C."

Chambliss focused

heavily on his support from and for agriculture, contrasting it with what

he called a lack of support Cleland has given. His record in south Georgia

and his growing support in the more heavily Republican north Georgia will

help him carry the vote, he said.

Chambliss has

one announced Republican opponent for the seat, Bob Irvin. Irvin will

be the guest speaker for the March 2 First Saturday Republican breakfast.