House Speaker Glenn Richardson, like predecessor Tom Murphy, has a reputation for sending lawmakers who cross him to a legislative version of a Soviet gulag.

With two local representatives among a dozen or so mounting a palace coup, what does the Athens area have to lose?

Not much, really.

Rep. Terry England, R-Auburn, holds leadership posts on two minor committees, agriculture/consumer affairs and industrial relations, and sits on the powerful appropriations committee. Rep. Tommy Benton, R-Jefferson, is secretary of the education committee. Neither is risking much clout if their push to install Rep. David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, as speaker fails.

The real power player around these parts is Rep. Bob Smith, R-Watkinsville. As vice chairman of appropriations for higher education, he’s the guy who brings home the bacon for UGA. He’s also on the powerful rules committee. Smith hasn’t said which side he’s coming down on, but my guess is he wants to stay on Richardson’s good side and keep his plum assignments.

Dreaming the impossible dream

Everyone who’s been clamoring for more coverage of Democrats, you can put a sock in it now.

Bobby Saxon and I had a nice heart-to-heart last week, and he’s almost got me convinced that he can pull off an upset in the 10th. Almost.

He has some numbers to back it up. Democrats Michael Thurmond and Thurbert Baker won 53 percent of the vote in the district in 2006. Democratic turnout topped Republican in the February presidential primary. Forty-one percent of district voters picked up a Democratic ballot in the July primary. Saxon received more votes in eight of 21 counties than either Paul Broun or Barry Fleming and more than both Republicans combined in five counties. And thousands of people are registering to vote, most of them Democrats. Obama’s coattails will be long in Georgia.

Allow me to put on my pundit hat for a second. Saxon sounds like a much more confident candidate than the greenhorn who jumped into the race in August armed with little more than some bad advice and unrealistic expectations. He’s a much better fit for the district than past candidates like Terry Holley or James Marlow, both politically and personality-wise.

As a reporter I don’t so much care who wins as I just want every race to go down to the wire so I have something to write about. Saxon won’t be as harsh as Barry Fleming – a wise move – but he’ll take it to Broun. State Senate candidate Tim Riley, likewise, is going to at least put up a fight against Ralph Hudgens.

Hudgens, by the way, about fell out laughing when I told him that Riley called him a tax-and-spend liberal.

“He’s going to have a tough time convincing the voters of that,” Hudgens said.

That’ll be a fun one to watch, even though Hudgens probably won’t even have to take a break from swimming Scrooge McDuck-style in his pool full of PAC money to swat away another pissant Democrat.

Speaking of PACs

Ever wish that four-figure checks would just mysteriously show up in your mailbox? Well, it happens to Hudgens all the time.

The chairman of the Senate insurance committee is sitting on more than $130,000 in campaign funds, but said he hasn’t asked for a dime in years.

“I have never asked a soul for a penny” since 2003, he said. “It’s just money that comes in.”

Must be nice.

Blake.aued@onlineathens.com