Secretary of State Karen Handel, in her first term, has made it known she wants to move over to the Office of Governor. She has officially entered the race but has made it known to friends and to The Associated Press that she plans to enter the race in which Insurance Commissiner John Oxendine and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle have been considered the front runners for the Republican nomination. What is it about the Secretary of State position that occupants always seem to use as a stepping stone for another office? The late Ben W. Fortson always said he had the best job in the state when he held the office of Secretary of State. Max Cleland resigned the office to make a race for the U.S. Senate. Lewis Massey was appointed to the position and jumped into the race for governor before the appointed term had ended. This brought on Cathy Cox, who was elected Secretary of State but soon started running for governor, but lost to Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor who became the Democratic Nominee. Some have pointed out that Cleland was the only winner but now Karen Handel wants to become the second. It was known that she had the strong support of Sonny Perdue when she ran for Secretary of State and there have been some signs that Handel may be Perdue’s choice as his successor.
