ATLANTA – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will be stumping with Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss on the eve of his Dec. 2 runoff.

Palin, who was a hit with the conservative GOP base as she ran for vice-president, will join Chambliss at four rallies across Georgia.

Chambliss is running off against Democrat Jim Martin in a race that could help determine whether Democrats have enough votes to block GOP filibusters in the U.S. Senate.

Responding to the Palin announcement, Chambliss said, “We’ve got the wind at our backs.”

Georgia is one of two unresolved contests. The other is in Minnesota, where a recount is under way in the race between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken.

ATLANTA – President-elect Barack Obama has waded into Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff, recording a radio ad supporting Democrat Jim Martin, but there’s still no word on whether the president-elect will make a personal appearance.

In the spot, Obama thanks Georgians who voted for him Nov. 4, then urged support for Martin.

“The elections aren’t over,” Obama said. “I want to urge you to turn out one more time and help elect Jim Martin to the United States Senate.”

Martin is locked in a hotly contested Dec. 2 runoff with first-term Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss. The Georgia race hastaken on national significance as one of two unresolved Senate races. The other is in Minnesota, where a re-count is under way to determine whether Republican Sen. Norm Coleman or Democrat Al Franken is the winner. Wins in both races could give Democrats the 60 seats needed to beat back Republican filibusters.

The stakes are high, and both parties have brought out the political heavyweights. Republicans John McCain and Mike Huckabee stumped for Chambliss last week, and Mitt Romney is due in Georgia Friday.

Former President Bill Clinton led a rally for Martin on Wednesday, and his vice president, Al Gore, is set to appear Sunday.

About 100 Obama field operatives have been working with Martin’s campaign staff to ensure voters turn out for the runoff, crucial for Martin to win in reliably Republican state. But direct involvement carries risks for Obama: If Martin loses, Obama would be tagged with a defeat before he’s sworn in. McCain carried the state by five percentage points Nov. 4.

ATLANTA - There’s word that political operatives who worked on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign are heading to Georgia to help Democrats secure a hotly contested Senate seat.

That’s according to two Democrats, who say about 100 Obama operatives will help Jim Martin with grass-roots efforts ahead of next month’s runoff against incumbent Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Obama’s vaunted grass roots operation is credited with playing a pivotal role in his winning the White House.

John McCain is also getting involved. He’ll be in Georgia to stump for Chambliss on Thursday. It will be McCain’s first campaign event since losing the race for the White House.

Neither Chambliss nor Martin got enough votes to pull above the necessary 50 percent plus one. Chambliss is just short, with 49.8 percent. Martin, a former state lawmaker from Atlanta, has 46.8 percent.

ATLANTA, Ga. – Election officials in at least two states are trying to deal with early voting glitches.

In one Tennessee county, some voters were given ballots for the wrong state House district. The Sullivan County Administrator tells the Kingsport Times-News that a few voters caught the mistake and were given correct ballots, but a couple of others called later after realizing they had cast the wrong ones.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, officials tell the Gwinnet Daily post that the ovals where voters are supposed to mark their choices are too thick for optical scanning machines to read. The county has reprinted 19,000 ballots to fix the problem. They say at least 10,000 absentee ballots already turned in will have to be hand-counted.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- John McCain told a crowd at a fundraiser that his wife is on her way to the embattled nation of Georgia, an announcement coming just hours before Barack Obama’s wife makes a high-profile speech at the Democratic National Convention.

McCain told a crowd that wife, Cindy, was to accompany him on the California swing and he apologized for her absence.

“Cindy is not here today and I’m sorry she’s not,” said McCain. “She’s on her way to the little country of Georgia.”

McCain has been a staunch supporter of Georgia in that nation’s clash with Russia, and sending his wife there underscores his commitment. It also could deflect attention from Michelle Obama’s convention speech in Denver as the Obama campaign seeks to introduce the family to voters.

In his speech to the fundraiser, McCain didn’t mention Mrs. Obama’s speech, but did give the 500 people attending the event something of a history lesson.

“Georgia was one of the first Christian nations,” McCain said. “Georgia, back in the Third Century, the king of Georgia converted to Christianity. You see churches there that date back to the Fourth and Fifth Century.”
  
McCain said it’s important to support Georgia because it’s a democracy, but also because key oil pipelines run through the country.