Former Rep. Nathan Deal is getting his own potential 2012 presidential hopeful visit — Mike Huckabee will travel to Georgia this weekend to stump with the Republican gubernatorial candidate just ahead of Tuesday’s runoff.
Deal, locked in a tight contest with former Secretary of State Karen Handel, received the former Arkansas governor’s endorsement Thursday, and his campaign announced on Friday that Huckabee will hold a Sunday afternoon rally with Deal in Gainesville, part of the congressional district Deal used to represent before resigning in March.
Deal, locked in a tight contest with former Secretary of State Karen Handel, received the former Arkansas governor’s endorsement Thursday, and his campaign announced on Friday that Huckabee will hold a Sunday afternoon rally with Deal in Gainesville, part of the congressional district Deal used to represent before resigning in March.
“It was a great Friday surprise for us,” Deal spokesman Brian Robinson told POLITICO. “He has just got a lot of grassroots support here in Georgia and the excitement is palpable. And it’s going to give the campaign just a gigantic kick of energy into the last weekend.”
Huckabee’s stopover will come just a day before Handel’s own marquee backer, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, makes an election-eve appearance in Atlanta.
Still, Handel spokesman Dan McLagan had nothing but good things to say about Huckabee, who won the 2008 GOP presidential primary in the Peach State
“We think the world of Huckabee,” he told POLITICO. “That’s a good endorsement.”
But as to which endorsement carries more weight — “That’ll be up to the voters to decide,” said McLagan.
Handel also has the backing of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, while Deal has scored the support of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, himself a longtime Georgia resident.
An InsiderAdvantage Poll released Friday underscored just how knotted up the race is — the two were deadlocked with 46 percent apiece, with 8 percent still undecided.
Both also had strong fundraising over the past month. Deal’s campaign announced that he has raised more than $1 million for his campaign since the last July 1 reporting period. Final pre-runoff reports are due by midnight Friday to the State Ethics Commission, and Handel’s campaign said she will report raising just under $1 million.
http://www.politico.com//news/stories/0810/40769.html
Huckabee’s stopover will come just a day before Handel’s own marquee backer, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, makes an election-eve appearance in Atlanta.
Still, Handel spokesman Dan McLagan had nothing but good things to say about Huckabee, who won the 2008 GOP presidential primary in the Peach State
“We think the world of Huckabee,” he told POLITICO. “That’s a good endorsement.”
But as to which endorsement carries more weight — “That’ll be up to the voters to decide,” said McLagan.
Handel also has the backing of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, while Deal has scored the support of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, himself a longtime Georgia resident.
An InsiderAdvantage Poll released Friday underscored just how knotted up the race is — the two were deadlocked with 46 percent apiece, with 8 percent still undecided.
Both also had strong fundraising over the past month. Deal’s campaign announced that he has raised more than $1 million for his campaign since the last July 1 reporting period. Final pre-runoff reports are due by midnight Friday to the State Ethics Commission, and Handel’s campaign said she will report raising just under $1 million.
http://www.politico.com//news/stories/0810/40769.html