Victorious Chambliss looks for bigger role in GOP

[Terri]

By SHANNON McCAFFREY
Associated Press
December 4, 2008

ATLANTA (AP) -- A double digit win in Georgia's U.S. Senate runoff could make Saxby Chambliss a star in a Republican party hungry for fresh leadership.

Just weeks ago, he was battling for political survival after neither he nor his Democratic opponent got more than 50 percent of the vote in the general election, forcing Tuesday's runoff, which Chambliss won handily.

Now, with his party searching for new leaders and a new identity, he could gain a prominent national profile, political experts said.

Chambliss, 65, will return for a second term in Washington, this time as a self-proclaimed firewall against President-elect Barack Obama and his Democratic agenda.

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