Republican

Sen. Paul Coverdell (R), incumbent
Coverdell won election to the U.S. Senate in 1992 after a tough fight against incumbent Sen. Wyche Fowler (D). He entered politics in 1971 through the Georgia state Senate, where he served until 1989. He also served as state GOP chairman from 1985 to 1987. Coverdell gained a reputation for being fairly moderate in the state legislature, but he has become more conservative during his time on Capitol Hill.
Campaign Web site
E-mail: coverdell@coverdell.org

Democrat

Michael Coles (D)
After initially begging off the race, Coles reconsidered after Georgia Democrats had difficulty finding a candidate to oppose Coverdell. Coles is the millionaire founder of the Great American Cookie Co. and serves as chairman of the state Democratic Party. He also ran a strong campaign against House Speaker Newt Gingrich for Georgia's 6th Congressional District in 1996. He lost that bid, 58-42 percent.
Campaign Web site
E-mail: michael@michaelcoles.com