Republican Carl Smith, chief of the Volunteer fire department in the small town of Thunderbolt, Ga., announced plans to challenge Barrow, according to the Morris News Service. Smith is the latest Republican to announce his candidacy in the 12th District race, but he does not enter as the favorite of party strategists.
Republicans actively recruited Army Col. Wayne Mosley, a surgeon who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and surgeon, to run against Barrow in 2010.
The eastern 12th District, which stretches from Augusta to Savannah, is home to many military bases and military residents. Barrow has been a strong booster of the military. Both his parents served in the Army and both were captains.
Barrow's 2008 GOP challenger, John Stone, a former congressional aide, announced shortly after his November defeat that he would vie for a rematch. Stone did not raise any funds in the first quarter of this year.
Barrow is one of the few white, southern Democrats remaining in Congress.
Last fall, Barrow bested Stone 66 percent to 34 percent. Barack Obama carried the district with 54 percent of the vote.
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