A marathon, not a sprint

Let me say one other thing about this.

Republicans are, understandably, touting the successes of Jim Whitehead and Paul Broun, while Democrats are somewhat befuddled by the struggles of James Marlow. It's important to remember, however, that Marlow - while a very, very good candidate in my opinion - also faced an incredibly steep challenge if he had made the runoff.

This is a Republican district in a Republican state. Democrats are going to face long odds anywhere they go not named 'Athens-Clarke County.' It's important to accept that and still keep plugging away. Republicans were the minority party for quite a long time, but they worked hard to build local and county infrastructure and a good base of candidates to draw from.

That hard work helped pay off for them.

Democrats need to remember that, and I think the state party understands that is working to build a foundation that will ultimately pay off in the long-term.