Why would Michael Thurmond, the Georgia labor commissioner, want to run against U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson?

Thurmond, a Democrat, now in his third elected term as labor commissioner, has what would seem a secure post. But instead of staying put or running for, say, lieutenant governor, he is challenging an incumbent U.S. senator, Republican Isakson, possessing a large campaign war chest and a voting record in tune with most Georgians.

In announcing his candidacy, Thurmond, 57, said he was concerned about the economy: "I realized I needed to focus not on the next election, but on the next generation."

However, he acknowledged he had been courted - "recruited" is a better term - by state and national Democrats to take on Isakson. Just what the enticements were, only Thurmond knows and he hasn't divulged them.

With Thurmond at the top of their ticket, Democrats hope to shore up support among the base for their entire slate. That apparently is the driving force behind Thurmond's entry into the Senate race.

It's all about "identity politics," as the Georgia Liberal website puts it, asserting: "Like it or not, identity politics is an important factor for the race."

On that point, the Democratic candidacy of Carol Porter for lieutenant governor is expected to draw women voters. She is the wife of Georgia House minority leader Dubose Porter, Democratic candidate for governor.

"Having both an extremely strong female and black candidate on the ballot this fall will hopefully drive up minority turnout for our party," says the Georgia Liberal. Just how strong Mrs. Porter is might be debatable, considering that she has never before run for public office.

The issue of Isakson's health will, no doubt, be exploited in this race. The senator, 65, recently had to be hospitalized for a bacterial infection and an irregular heartbeat. But he came out swinging in announcing he was prepared for an aggressive campaign for a second term. He said:

"Georgians will get to choose whether they want someone who represents their conservative values or someone who will push the Obama-Reid-Pelosi agenda of government health care, cap-and-trade taxes, skyrocketing debt, auto bailouts, government takeover of student loans, jobless stimulus packages, terrorist trials in U.S. courts and forced unionization of private sector employees by repealing their secret ballot."

You can be sure that John Hardy Isakson will put up a tough fight. And he goes into this fight with a 51 percent lead versus Thurmond's 35 percent, per Rasmussen.

The poll also found that voters unaffiliated with either major party favor Isakson by nearly 3-to-1. Per the Georgia Liberal posting, female voters broke evenly between the two candidates, Rasmussen said. Thurmond drew a whopping 81 percent of the black vote, while 69 percent of whites favored Isakson.

You can look for an all-out fight by the Democrats. For them, it's do or die. If the Thurmond strategy fails, they could wind up with no Democrats holding statewide offices in Georgia.

dmckee9613@aol.com