Isakson's staying in D.C.

Johnny Isakson won't run for governor in 2010, meaning the Republican primary just got a whole lot more interesting. I think we're headed for a Casey Cagle-Glenn Richardson death match, which could be fun to watch.

Aside from those two, John Oxendine is already in the mix, and I would imagine we'd hear some other names like Jack Kingston or Lynn Westmoreland or maybe even Karen Handel (though just one term as Secretary of State might make her a less appealing candidate).

Also, while this is still arguably a Republican state, it opens the door for a Democrat to be a little more competitive as Isakson would have squashed anyone. The list of possible candidates is still kind of short with only Thurbert Baker, Jim Marshall and Cathy Cox coming to mind as potentially viable ones (as of now), and the latter two seem to be only ones with the chance to push the GOP nominee.

Then again, if the Georgia General Assembly continues to be, well, rather ineffective, it could get even more interesting. Who knows ...