Former Gov. accepts Coverdell’s Senate seat
A T L A N T A, July 24 -- Georgia’s Democratic former Gov. Zell Millerwas appointed today to the late Republican Paul Coverdell’s Senateseat and said he will run for the remaining four years of the termin November.
Gov. Roy Barnes, a Democrat, officially announced theappointment tonight, saying Miller, 68, was thebest-qualified person from either party.
“The one who didn’t want it was the one who had to take it,”he said. “It used to take seniority to get things done in theUnited States Senate. Now it takes stature. And Zell Miller has thestature it takes to get things done.”
President Clinton also praised the choice.
“In every job he has ever held — as a U.S. Marine,college professor, lieutenant governor and governor — ZellMiller has put the interest of hard working families first.I believe he will be a great United States Senator, and I lookforward to working with him,” the president said.
Senate Democrats Gain One
The appointment of Miller increases the number of Democrats inthe Senate to 46. There are 54 Republicans.
Coverdell, 61, died of a stroke last week. In 1998, he becamethe first Georgia Republican since Reconstruction to be re-electedto the U.S. Senate.
“I accept this mission with a heavy heart and a profound senseof duty,” Miller said. “The state we love lost one if its finestcitizens.”
Miller left office as one of the most popular governors inGeorgia history. The Georgia Constitution prevented Miller fromrunning for a third term in 1998. His approval rating soared above85 percent, thanks mostly to his lottery-funded program that gavecollege scholarships to any high school students with a “B”average or better. Some Democrats had suggested he run againstCoverdell for Senate, but Miller instead retired and began teachingcollege courses.
Praise for Coverdell
Miller praised Coverdell for his ability to build consensusbetween the two parties and said he would do the same when he getsto Washington.
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