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Thurbert E. Baker
Thurbert E. Baker (born December 16, 1952, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina) was the Democratic Attorney General of Georgia from 1997 until 2010. He was first appointed to the position in 1997 by then-Governor Zell Miller and went on to win subsequent elections in 1998, 2002, and 2006. In the 2006 election, Baker carried 122 out of 159 counties in the state and received more votes than any other Democrat running statewide in Georgia. He announced in April 2009 that he would enter the race for the Democratic nomination for the governor's office.[1] Baker went on to lose the Democratic nomination to former-Governor Roy E. Barnes on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 after placing second with a little over twenty-one percent of the vote.[2]
Biography
After receiving his law degree, Baker worked for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an attorney, in addition to serving as partner and litigator for his own private practice firm.
Education
- Bachelor's degree, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1975)
- Juris Doctorate degree, Emory University School of Law (1979)
Elections
2010
- See also: Georgia gubernatorial election, 2010
Baker announced in April 2009 that he would be seeking the Democratic nomination in the state's gubernatorial contest.[1] Baker went on to lose the Democratic nomination to former-Governor Roy E. Barnes on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 after placing second with a little over twenty-one percent of the vote.[2]
| 2010 Race for Governor - Democratic Primary[2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party |  Roy E. Barnes
|
65.6% | |
| Democratic Party | Thurbert E. Baker | 21.6% | |
| Democratic Party | David Poythress | 5.5% | |
| Democratic Party | DuBose Porter | 4.5% | |
| Democratic Party | Carl Camon | 1.1% | |
| Democratic Party | Bill Bolton | 0.9% | |
| Democratic Party | Randal Mangham | 0.8% | |
| Total Votes | 395,467 | ||
2006
- 2006 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary[3]
- Thurbert Baker ran unopposed in this contest
| 2006 Race for Attorney General - General Election[4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | Thurbert E. Baker
|
57.2% | |
| Republican Party | Perry McGuire | 42.8% | |
| Total Votes | 2,073,654 | ||
2002
- 2002 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary[5]
- Thurbert Baker ran unopposed in this contest
| 2002 Race for Attorney General - General Election[6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | Thurbert E. Baker
|
55.6% | |
| Republican Party | Shannon Goessling | 44.4% | |
| Total Votes | 1,968,730 | ||
1998
- 1998 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary[7]
- Thurbert Baker ran unopposed in this contest
| 1998 Race for Attorney General - General Election[8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | Thurbert E. Baker
|
50.9% | |
| Republican Party | David Ralston | 45.3% | |
| Libertarian Party | Walker Chandler | 3.8% | |
| Total Votes | 1,737,086 | ||
Campaign finance summary
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Baker currently resides in Stone Mountain, Georgia with his wife, Catherine. The couple has had two daughters together - Jocelyn and Chelsea. Baker is also a practicing Baptist.
Other roles
- Delegate, National Association of Attorneys General - American Bar Associations House of Delegates
- Board Member, DeKalb College Foundation
- Vice Chair, Dekalb County Board of Appeals
- Trustee, Ebenezer Baptist Church
- Member, Emory Law School Council
- Board Member, Emory Universitys Board of Visitors
- Advisor, Harrell Center for the Study of Domestic Violence at the University of South Florida
- Trustee, Martin Luther King, Jr. Charitable Foundation
- Convener, National Association of Attorneys General - Civil Rights Committee
- Executive Committee, National Association of Attorneys General
- Board Member, National Medical Society at Emory University
- Member, National Rifle Association
- Chair, Southern Regional Conference of Attorneys General
- Member, Executive Committee, Dekalb County Democratic Party
- Board Member, DeKalb County Library Board
- Trustee, Metro-Fair Housing Board
Awards
- Charles L. Weltner Freedom of Information Award (2003) from the Georgia First Amendment Foundation
- Leadership Award (2005) from the Atlanta Bar Association
- Individual Achievement Award (2006) from the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform
- Kelley-Wyman Award (2007) from the National Association of Attorneys General
- Trumpet Award (2008)
- Barack Obama Political Leadership Award (2009) from the National Bar Association
See also
External links
- Thurbert Baker's Facebook profile
- Thurbert Baker's Twitter account
- Project Vote Smart - Thurbert Baker biography
- Thurbertbaker.com Campaign website
The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine was used to recall this version of the website from April 5, 2009.
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Thurbert Baker to enter 2010 race for governor" 1 April 2009
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Georgia Secretary of State - 2010 Primary Election Results
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State - 2006 Democratic Primary Election Results
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State - 2006 General Election Results
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State - 1998 Democratic Primary Election Results
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State - 2002 General Election Results
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State - 1998 Democratic Primary Election Results
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State - 1998 General Election Results
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mike Bowers |
Georgia Attorney General 1997–2010 |
Succeeded by Samuel S. Olens |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
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