This year is not only big in presidential politics, but in the Congressional election as well.  This year, the GOP is looking to take Georgia’s 12th district from John Barrow.  With the new redrawing of district lines, the 12th district has lost the mostly liberal Savannah area and is now boasting a 58 percent Republican population.

This fairs well in the favor of the Republican hopefuls, including Augusta-based businessman Rick Allen, state rep Lee Anderson, real estate lawyer and retired Navy officer Wright McLeod, Tea Partier Jeanne Seaver and lawyer Maria Sheffield.  Sheffield has already started going after the Georgia Southern University vote by coming to student organization meetings and hosting viewing parties for debates and primary results.

Barrow is going to have a tough time getting reelected with his spotty record.  He’s voted “yes” time and time again for the federal government to be allowed to not only fund abortions, but to allow stem cell research.

For the economy, he voted “yes” in the biggest waste of government spending with Obama’s $825 billion stimulus package flop and his $125 billion Jobs Creation Act, aka stimulus waste part two.  He also fought to keep the Affordable Mortgage program, the same program that lead to the housing bubble pop by giving government backed loans to unqualified customers, forcing the banks to do the same, just with our money not the governments.

He also wants more government control on employment by supporting affirmative action for women and minorities.  I’m not saying that women and minorities should not get a job if they are more qualified for it than a white man, but to have the government say that you MUST employ a woman or minority over a white man if they are equally qualified is ridiculous and outdated.

To top it off, last election, Barrow sent out two different flyers — one to the more conservative north of the district, saying he’s a conservative Democrat and will work to stop Obama, and one to the more liberal southern part of the district, emblazoned with a giant picture of Obama and him saying, “We will work hand in hand for change.”  Talk about flip-flopping.

This election is critical for not only Georgia, but the entire nation.  The Republican National Committee has deemed the 12th district one of the top three must win districts this fall.  It’s time for the conservative voice of southern Georgia to be heard up in Washington.