Nathan Deal may have survived a broadside of attacks from Karen Handel over his ethics problems —but he can’t expect that issue to disappear in the general election.
After trailing Handel, Deal rebounded in the July 20 primary by 11 points to squeak past the former Georgia secretary of state by a slim 50.2 percent to 49.8 percent margin that wasn’t certain until Handel conceded Wednesday morning. Deal performed strongly in rural counties, while Handel was strong —but not strong enough — in her metro-Atlanta home base.
After trailing Handel, Deal rebounded in the July 20 primary by 11 points to squeak past the former Georgia secretary of state by a slim 50.2 percent to 49.8 percent margin that wasn’t certain until Handel conceded Wednesday morning. Deal performed strongly in rural counties, while Handel was strong —but not strong enough — in her metro-Atlanta home base.
Now, Democrats plan to make questions about the former congressman’s auto salvage business and its dealings with the state fair game, especially since they believe they have a real shot at recapturing the seat with their nominee, former Gov. Roy Barnes.
Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said those arguments had failed in the primary and they would fail in November.
“We have fought our way back from everything in this race. And we have taken punches and we keep standing up. The charges are baseless and the voters rejected them" on Tuesday, said Robinson. “In 40 years, no one has ever accused Nathan Dal of ethical misconduct until he decided to run for governor.”
“The voters have already rejected that, and it will be the same in November,” Robinson added.
National Democrats privately said they had preferred Deal as the GOP nominee, believing him to be the weaker general election candidate because of his vulnerabilities introduced by the ethics probe.
Shortly after resigning from Congress in March, Deal was slapped with an ethics complaint over work his House office allegedly did to benefit his auto salvage business. More recently, a federal grand jury called a state official to testify on the matter, though the campaign has insisted Deal is not a target of the probe.
Despite beginning the race as the frontrunner, Handel seized on the growing cloud around Deal, running ads that called him a "corrupt relic of Washington" who "carries baggage" and launching a blistering direct-mail campaign, which included one piece detailing the Office of Congressional Ethics's complaints against Deal.
In a strategy memo sent to reporters Tuesday, Democratic Governors Association Executive Director Nathan Daschle boasted that the bitter GOP civil war would only help Barnes this November and listed the race as a pickup opportunity.
“They became chess pieces in a national proxy war between Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich, all the while heightening their vicious smears over ethics allegations and adherence to an out-of-touch radical ideology,” said Daschle.
Georgia Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kidd echoed those sentiments in a statement to POLITICO.
"Even Deal's primary opponent called him one of the most corrupt members of Congress,” said Kidd. "With Nathan Deal you get a Washington, D.C., insider tainted with special interest favoritism and ethical corruption."
Barnes didn’t wait around to see who his general election opponent would be either, launching his first television ad on Tuesday. The spot, which never mentions the word Democrat, casts Barnes as the experienced candidate while referring to “ethics violations” and “misplaced priorities.”
“It’s a choice between competent experience or more of the same,” the ad says, ending with the tag line “Roy Barnes: No on-the-job training necessary.”
Barnes has noticeably separated himself from his party. When President Barack Obama visited Atlanta earlier this month, Barnes was not in attendance — which his campaign cited as a scheduling conflict.
Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart told POLITICO shortly after the polls closed Tuesday night that while she fully expected Democrats to continue to bring up those issues if Deal won, voters would tire of that approach.
“I think that this dog has been beat up enough. The Democrats will use it — they will use anything,” said Everhart. “It’s going to be a fight for the governor’s mansion between whoever our nominee is, and I just think we’ve beat up this ethics complaint enough.”
“Look at all the people in Washington, but this is Nancy Pelosi’s own witch hunt. I’m sorry that it has happened to Congressman Deal, but it happened,” Everhart added.
Barnes also has a long political tenure to pick apart, with Republicans especially pointing to the rocky relationship he had with teachers unions as governor.
Robinson said Barnes would “have his hands full explaining his own record. Not only does he have to run from his own record, he has to run from his own party’s record.”
Longtime Georgia Republican strategist Mark Rountree, who wasn’t working for either gubernatorial candidate, cautioned that Barnes can’t make the ethics problems germane to just Republicans.
“He has to almost argue that Deal is a unique situation,” said Rountree.
“Is this an actual anti-incumbent year or anti-Democrat year — this is a good state to use to figure that out,” said Rountree. “If it ends up being [an] anti-Democrat year, Republicans will be fine.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported final vote tallies for Deal and Handel.
http://www.politico.com//news/stories/0810/40973.html
Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said those arguments had failed in the primary and they would fail in November.
“We have fought our way back from everything in this race. And we have taken punches and we keep standing up. The charges are baseless and the voters rejected them" on Tuesday, said Robinson. “In 40 years, no one has ever accused Nathan Dal of ethical misconduct until he decided to run for governor.”
“The voters have already rejected that, and it will be the same in November,” Robinson added.
National Democrats privately said they had preferred Deal as the GOP nominee, believing him to be the weaker general election candidate because of his vulnerabilities introduced by the ethics probe.
Shortly after resigning from Congress in March, Deal was slapped with an ethics complaint over work his House office allegedly did to benefit his auto salvage business. More recently, a federal grand jury called a state official to testify on the matter, though the campaign has insisted Deal is not a target of the probe.
Despite beginning the race as the frontrunner, Handel seized on the growing cloud around Deal, running ads that called him a "corrupt relic of Washington" who "carries baggage" and launching a blistering direct-mail campaign, which included one piece detailing the Office of Congressional Ethics's complaints against Deal.
In a strategy memo sent to reporters Tuesday, Democratic Governors Association Executive Director Nathan Daschle boasted that the bitter GOP civil war would only help Barnes this November and listed the race as a pickup opportunity.
“They became chess pieces in a national proxy war between Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich, all the while heightening their vicious smears over ethics allegations and adherence to an out-of-touch radical ideology,” said Daschle.
Georgia Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kidd echoed those sentiments in a statement to POLITICO.
"Even Deal's primary opponent called him one of the most corrupt members of Congress,” said Kidd. "With Nathan Deal you get a Washington, D.C., insider tainted with special interest favoritism and ethical corruption."
Barnes didn’t wait around to see who his general election opponent would be either, launching his first television ad on Tuesday. The spot, which never mentions the word Democrat, casts Barnes as the experienced candidate while referring to “ethics violations” and “misplaced priorities.”
“It’s a choice between competent experience or more of the same,” the ad says, ending with the tag line “Roy Barnes: No on-the-job training necessary.”
Barnes has noticeably separated himself from his party. When President Barack Obama visited Atlanta earlier this month, Barnes was not in attendance — which his campaign cited as a scheduling conflict.
Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart told POLITICO shortly after the polls closed Tuesday night that while she fully expected Democrats to continue to bring up those issues if Deal won, voters would tire of that approach.
“I think that this dog has been beat up enough. The Democrats will use it — they will use anything,” said Everhart. “It’s going to be a fight for the governor’s mansion between whoever our nominee is, and I just think we’ve beat up this ethics complaint enough.”
“Look at all the people in Washington, but this is Nancy Pelosi’s own witch hunt. I’m sorry that it has happened to Congressman Deal, but it happened,” Everhart added.
Barnes also has a long political tenure to pick apart, with Republicans especially pointing to the rocky relationship he had with teachers unions as governor.
Robinson said Barnes would “have his hands full explaining his own record. Not only does he have to run from his own record, he has to run from his own party’s record.”
Longtime Georgia Republican strategist Mark Rountree, who wasn’t working for either gubernatorial candidate, cautioned that Barnes can’t make the ethics problems germane to just Republicans.
“He has to almost argue that Deal is a unique situation,” said Rountree.
“Is this an actual anti-incumbent year or anti-Democrat year — this is a good state to use to figure that out,” said Rountree. “If it ends up being [an] anti-Democrat year, Republicans will be fine.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported final vote tallies for Deal and Handel.
http://www.politico.com//news/stories/0810/40973.html