Mitch Seabaugh

From dKosopedia

Category: Georgia Republicans

Mitch Seabaugh is a balding, mustached Republican state senator and one of the looniest right wingers in the Georgia General Assembly.

As Majority Whip, Seabaugh is the third ranking Republican in the State Senate. He is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and former chairman of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee, both powerful committees.

Despite his many titles, Seabaugh commands no respect from his fellow legislators. During the 2006 Legislative Session, Seabaugh was publicly humiliated by House Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter during a meeting of the House Rules Committee. Burkhalter ridiculed Seabaugh's bill to mandate a six month waiting period on uncontested divorces and eventually killed the bill, but only after forcing Seabaugh to take action on unrelated bills that Burkhalter had introduced.

Burkhalter and other House leaders have pressed Lieutenant Governor-Elect Casey Cagle to remove Seabaugh from his Senate leadership positions or else face difficulties in getting Cagle's own legislative agenda through the House. New to the Lieutenant Governor's office and with no real attachment to Seabaugh, Cagle is expected to bow to House wishes.

Seabaugh is a starstruck fan of Christian Coalition founder Ralph Reed and right wing Congressman Lynn "Ten Commandments" Westmoreland.

Seabaugh lost his first bid for the State Senate in 1996, coming back in 2000 to unseat the man who had beaten him four yeras earlier. He was re-elected in 2002, 2004 and 2006.