In September, Hadley resigned from his position as the chief of staff of Rockdale County, Ga., to campaign full-time, he said. As chief of staff, he was responsible for "facilitating internal communications" between the county's Board of Commissioners, as well as conducting research and managing board-initiated programs, according to a Rockdale County press release.
Hadley has previously worked as a social worker in juvenile court and as an official in the Federal Aviation Administration, according to the release. He also previously worked for Motorola and Logica as a technology project and mergers and acquisitions manager.
Hadley said he chose to run against Isakson because he would better reflect the desires of Georgia's voters. If elected, he would focus on promoting jobs, education and small businesses, he said.
"We have 10.7 percent unemployment, but [Isakson] voted no for the jobs bill, and he voted no to extending unemployment benefits, which affected about 40,000 to 50,000 people here in Georgia who were going to lose their benefits," said Hadley. "I feel that that is not representing the needs of the people. He is just sticking with the party lines."
While Isakson voted against the stimulus bill, he has attempted to boost Georgia's economy by voting to cut numerous taxes, according to Sheridan Watson, Isakson's spokeswoman. Isakson was an original author of the No Child Left Behind Act and is pursuing revisions in numerous areas to strengthen the Act, Watson said. A former at-large delegate to the 2008 Denver Democratic National Convention, Hadley has never run for public office before, he said. The qualifying deadline for any new candidates to enter the race is April 30.
Hadley said he thinks decision-makers become disconnected with the needs of their constituents when they follow the customary path of career politicians serving in increasingly prominent public offices.
"I said at the beginning that I'm a Democrat, but I'm listening to everyone because at the end of the day, I will be everyone's senator," Hadley said. "I go to Republican meetings and Libertarian meetings and I've been to Tea Party events."
Hadley does not have a good chance of winning Georgia's Senate seat, according to Abramowitz.
"In these races where you have a popular incumbent running, a lot of times the challenger from the opposition party will be someone who is not well-known, but the typical fate of those sorts of challengers is to lose very badly," Abramowitz said.
More prominent Democratic figures in Georgia are running for state-level offices because these are considered more feasible races to win, according to Abramowitz.
"As of now there are no prominent Democrats running for that seat and the general view has been that Isakson is pretty safe," Abramowitz said. "The Democratic focus is much more on the state election this year the contest for governor and other state-wide offices."
Hadley's lack of experience serving in public office will be a disadvantage for him at the polls, Abramowitz said.
"Typically, strong candidates come either from the House of Representatives or hold some sort of state office before they run for Senate, unless they have some other way of getting their name out there, like if they're independently wealthy and willing to spend several million dollars of their own money," Abramowitz said. "It's very expensive to run for a Senate seat."
Hadley has not yet released his expenses or fundraising over the course of his campaign because he has not yet reached the Federal Election Commission's $5,000 campaign spending reporting threshold, he said. Supporters can donate through his web site, but Hadley has not actively solicited donations, he said.
Hadley's campaign site, HadleyForUSSenate.com, currently leads guests directly to his Facebook fan page, Twitter account and LinkedIn listing. Hadley said he is using social media outlets to continue the "dialogue" he established with Georgians in his travels across the state.
Hadley said he intends to add more detailed information on his web site, including his stance on specific issues, closer to the April 30 qualifying deadline, but that voters have been informed of his views through his travels throughout the state and media interviews.
Isakson was hospitalized for a blood clot in his leg on Monday. He was the only senator to miss the health care reconciliation vote because of health problems, AHN headline news reported.
Chuck Donovan, a professional pilot, is currently the only Libertarian candidate in the election, according to Congress.org. Donovan has identified on his campaign web site the economy and energy as central issues in his campaign platform.
