14 JUL 08: HOW LOST ARE YOU?

Sunday probably was a busy day for political candidates across Georgia. Some may have left brochures on cars in church parking lots. Others actually may have spoken in church services - although hearing a candidate for Coroner talk about the resurrection certainly would be unusual.

An early writing deadline required us to set a midday cutoff time for further comments on Tuesday's primary. And a bit to our surprise, no one e-mailed anything new. Maybe the supporters and critics went to church as well - to debate their friends and foes personally in the pews.

Tuesday not only will be primary day in Georgia. It will be primary runoff day in Alabama -- and it's about time, because there's been a lot of rain which needs to run off.

So are you really ready for the vote? It's time for another of our traditional pop quizzes, to see how well you've kept up with the candidates and the issues. If you don't know the answers, there's still time to look them up....

1. Which former candidate for mayor is behind the group "Be Smart Vote No LOST"? How can he possibly be elected to Columbus Council, based on how he's handled this project?

2. Name all the Democrats running for U.S. Senate in Georgia. Name which one is most likely to borrow from 2002, and portray Saxby Chambliss as a circus dog.

3. If Russell County Commission candidate Larry Screws really was a screw, what kind of screw would he be? Would he be insulted if you answered "flathead?"

4. Who is running against Ed Harbison for State Senate? Why does it seem like a Republican Party leader is running, instead?

5. Why have the candidates for Muscogee County Coroner NOT taken a stand on the sales tax question? Are they concerned more police officers could make their jobs obsolete?

6. Compare Jim Wetherington's TV commercials this year with those in 2006. Is he smiling more now?

7. Which U.S. Senate candidate says the U.S. should stop helping Iraq, as long as oil prices are high? Why isn't he saying the same thing about Canada, which is the source of more U.S. oil?

8. Why is Congressman Artur Davis already talking about running for Governor of Alabama in 2010? Should he defer such a historic moment to Charles Barkley, who called it first?

9. Explain at least three ways in which state lawmakers "fight" for a bill. (Last year's fistfight by two Alabama State Senators does not count.)

10. Which candidate for coroner currently works at the Columbus RiverCenter? Has he made cameo appearances in the death scenes of operas?

11. Why does Edward DuBose oppose the one-percent sales tax question? Will a no vote lead to the Georgia NAACP moving its headquarters to Columbus?

12. Which candidate for U.S. Senate once worked as a TV news reporter in Atlanta? What does it say about that business, when he has not run any TV commercials in Columbus?

13. Which Russell County Commission candidate has openly stated, "I beat my wife in court"? Why has his opponent failed to receive the endorsement of the ex-wife in the runoff?

14. Estimate how many people choose a political candidate, based on whether they file sworn affidavits with their spending reports. (Round this number to the nearest ten.)

15. Name the candidate for coroner who stood behind a live report during "Thunder on the Hooch" wearing a campaign T-shirt. Should he have entered the watermelon-eating contest instead?

16. Explain why City Manager Isaiah Hugley and Police Chief Ricky Boren have not appeared in "Yes for Public Safety" commercials. (Don't bother with Fire Chief Jeff Meyer -- we already know that answer.)

17. Name the U.S. Senate campaign which set up a sign across the street from Fourth Street Baptist Church - not perpendicular to Fifth Street, but so the candidate's name faces the door of the sanctuary. Does that campaign presume no one in the Historic District drives cars?

18. Which candidates are in the runoff for Alabama Public Service Commission? Why are they talking about oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, instead of searching in rural Lee County?

19. How many ministers are endorsing State Senator Ed Harbison for re-election? If Reginald Pugh wins, will they publicly repent?

20. Would a candidate for coroner win more votes if he promised fewer people would die in the next four years?

SCHEDULED TUESDAY: No politics?! Don't worry, we've already thought of something....

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