Sen. Chambliss on Plans for Runoff Race

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," November 10, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: Georgia senator, Saxby Chambliss, and his Democratic challenger Jim Martin are still locked in campaign mode. Now both men are now focused on a December 2nd runoff after neither campaign got more than the 50 percent of the vote.

And Senate races in Alaska, Minnesota, they're also still in question as Democrats hold out hope for a 60-seat super majority.

Joining us now is Georgia senator, Saxby Chambliss.

Three-way race, 48.8 percent. Who says .2 percent, Saxby, doesn't matter?

SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA SENATOR: It was close, 8500 votes, and it would be over and in any other state of the country, it'd be over with. But you know, we've got rules, and we hit the ground running the day after the election.

• Video: Watch Sean and Alan's interview with Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss

HANNITY: Well, look, I see — I think this is about as safe a seat there can be, but you know, obviously, you're not going to take any vote for granted.

I look at your opponent's record, and I lived in Atlanta for four years. I think I know the town pretty well and it's pretty conservative, Georgia is. I mean this guy voted to increase property tax assessment by 150 percent. This is a guy who voted to raise taxes by $687 million, raise sales taxes 32 percent.

This is a guy that I've got to believe, you know, with a liberal super majority, is going to have his arm twisted as a new senator and pretty much go along with Barack Obama and Harry Reid's agenda.

That's why I'm pretty confident you're going to win, if you're not.

CHAMBLISS: Well, we feel good about it, but you know, as you say, Sean, you take nothing for granted. We're going to be working hard. There's a pretty clear distinction here. My opponent is locked at the hip with Barack Obama on tax increases and so many other issues that Georgians don't care about.

I mean we're excited about getting taxes cut which is, you know, has been my history in the House as well as in the Senate. So we're going to continue to carry that message to Georgians.

HANNITY: I've been looking at other issues, too, that I know matter to people in Georgia. He voted twice against making English the official language in the state of Georgia. He voted against prayer in school in Georgia. I don't think that's going to go over too well in the — when this comes down, against mandatory minimum sentences here.

Why was this even a race? Was it because a third party got involved?

CHAMBLISS: Well, at the end of the day, obviously, the libertarian got enough votes to throw it into a runoff, but what happened, Sean, was that, you know, there was a tsunami that took place with respect to the economy, and people, really, were more concerned about their pocketbook, and rightfully so, because it is a tough time we're in right now.

And the social issues, the other issues that are outside of the economy really didn't come into play. They will now with the presidential election being pushed to the side between now and December 2nd. We'll be pointing those things out to people.

ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: Senator, it's Alan Colmes. Good to have you in the show. Thanks for being here. Appreciate it.

CHAMBLISS: Hey, Alan.

COLMES: Why do you think you've been unable, and maybe you gave a partial answer in the last response to Sean, but why have you not been able to get — close the deal with the people of Georgia in terms of what happened on Election Day?

CHAMBLISS: Well, listen, we have, for the first time in the history the our state, a 30-day advanced vote period, and let's give the Obama people credit. They did a good job of getting out their vote early.

There was a high percentage of minority vote, and I am tickled to death that as many Georgians as did examined their right to vote. That's what make our election process the envy of the whole free world, but we weren't able to get enough of our folks out on Election Day. That's a challenge to get them out in a runoff, but we look forward to that challenge and I'm pretty excited about looking towards these...

COLMES: Is there anything you would have done differently in your first term to have maybe created a different result on election?

CHAMBLISS: You know, there really isn't. Listen, I have never stared a controversial issue in the face and run the other way. I think the people of Georgia sent me to Washington to solve problems, and we've made an attempt to do that. It's not always the popular thing to do, but I think it's the right thing to do.

COLMES: You came under fire, of course, in that ad against Max Cleland. And people have talked about that ever since, the one where there was an image of Osama bin Laden. If you had to do it all over again, would you still have run that ad?

CHAMBLISS: You know, that ad is a myth that just hangs around. If people had seen the ads that were run against me by my then opponent, they would think that is a lightweight ad.

But, you know, politics is a contact sport. It's a game in where you have to define your opponent. And we're going to continue to work hard to make sure that we address the issues that are important to Georgians. We get down and we're going to do it again.

COLMES: So you would have run it. Knowing what you know now, you would have done the same thing and run the same ad?

CHAMBLISS: Listen, that ad was very fair, and it pointed out deficiencies in the voting record of my opponent. I've always pointed out the voting record of my opponent where I think the majority of Georgians would disagree with that voting record.

COLMES: You're saying about.

CHAMBLISS: And once again, in this campaign, we've done it.

COLMES: You're saying about Martin, he doesn't share Georgia's values. You're putting up prayer in school, as Sean mentioned, and English as the official language, and you say he's soft on crime.

Is that negative campaigning, and do you think that's the tone — a proper tone to set?

CHAMBLISS: Alan, I think it's fair campaigning. People deserve to know what somebody's voting record is. I'm very proud of my voting record. I'm ranked consistently as one of the most conservative members of the United States Senate.

My opponent spent 18 years in the Georgia House where he was known as one of the most if not the most liberal member of the Georgia House and I think people need to know and understand about that voting record.

COLMES: I don't think liberals are that bad. But anyway, thank you very much for being with us tonight, sir. Appreciate your.

HANNITY: By the way, I do.

CHAMBLISS: You're still a good guy, Alan.

HANNITY: Hey, I'm with you, Senator.

COLMES: I think the (INAUDIBLE) may have seen it my way last week.

Anyway, thank you very much, sir.

Watch "Hannity & Colmes" weeknights at 9 p.m. ET!

Content and Programming Copyright 2008 FOX News Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2008 ASC LLC (www.ascllc.net), which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon FOX News Network, Inc.'s and Voxant Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation.