GA-Gov & Sen: GA & National Dems Very Optimistic About Carter (D) & Nunn (D) Candidacies

Georgia is going to be a political hot spot next year.  You have the CEO of the charity Points of Light Michelle Nunn (D. GA) running for her dad Sam Nunn's (D. GA) old U.S. Senate seat and she has a great chance at winning it.  But yesterday, the grandson of another famous Georgian is seeking higher office:

http://www.ajc.com/...

Democratic state Sen. Jason Carter will challenge Gov. Nathan Deal next year in a move that catapults the gubernatorial contest into the national spotlight and tests whether Georgia’s changing demographics can loosen the Republican Party’s 12-year grip on the state’s highest office.

Carter’s decision, which he announced Wednesday in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is another step along the trail forged by his famous grandfather Jimmy Carter, who was elected to the state Senate and then the Governor’s Mansion before winning the presidency.

“We can’t wait as a state,” said Jason Carter, who formally announced his candidacy Thursday. “The bottom line is we can’t afford four more years of an economy that’s not working for the middle class and an education system that’s underfunded. It’s not about politics. It’s about making sure we can get the state that we need.”

Carter, 38, becomes the second high-profile Democratic scion to compete for a spot on Georgia’s 2014 ticket. Senate candidate Michelle Nunn, the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, is her party’s front-runner in the crowded contest to replace retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Carter, who is not stepping down from office, pitches himself as a fiscal conservative who will revamp an education funding system he derides as a “shell game” and restore trust in the government. The latter is a subtle nod to allegations by current and former ethics commission staffers that Deal’s office improperly interfered with the agency probing complaints against him. - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/7/13

Carter and Nunn being on the same ticket is quite historical given their families backgrounds:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/...

Carter's run is troubling news for incumbent Governor Nathan Deal, who already has to fend off two primary opponents and a recent state ethics scandal in his bid for reelection in 2014. As the Associated Press notes, a Jason Carter campaign will almost certainly "grab national attention, be well-financed, and criticize the governor's ethics and leadership."

But there's even more Georgia political history at play here: Carter will appear on the same ballot as Senate candidate Michelle Nunn, who has raised $1.7 million for her campaign and is also the daughter of longtime former U.S. senator Sam Nunn. As The Atlanta-Journal Constitution pointed out last month, the Carter and Nunn family names have thus been intertwined for four decades, and Sam Nunn and Jimmy Carter famously didn't always get along. - The Atlantic Wire, 11/7/13

With both Nunn and Carter's names on the ballots, Georgia Democrats and getting excited:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

Democrats are expected to invest heavily in the state next year, which will come two short years before the 2016 presidential race and feature the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter and the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn. The money will be used to build up the statewide organization — registering voters, setting up a broad donor network and recruiting grassroots supporters — in the hopes of eventually turning Georgia into a true battleground state.

“Senator Carter’s entrance into the governor’s race, along with Michelle Nunn’s candidacy, has created an unbelievable amount of excitement and optimism among Georgia Democrats,” said Tharon Johnson, an Atlanta-based Democratic strategist who led President Barack Obama’s re-election effort in the South.

Jason Carter, a 38-year-old attorney and state lawmaker from Atlanta, said Thursday he plans to run for governor. The decision shakes up the 2014 race as Republican Gov. Nathan Deal seeks re-election. Deal already faces two primary opponents and will now have to deal with the prospect of a Carter campaign that is likely to be well-funded and focused on the governor long before the general election. Carter is not expected to face serious primary opposition.

When asked about Carter’s announcement, Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said the governor was “focused on keeping Georgia the No. 1 place to do business and creating jobs and developing a skilled workforce.”

There is no doubt Georgia Democrats still face a tough political climate, and it remains to be seen how much outside money will flow into the state and how well Nunn and Carter will appeal to independent voters. Republicans currently hold every statewide office and a large majority in the General Assembly. Both U.S. senators are Republican, as well as most of the congressional delegation. The state has voted for every Republican presidential nominee since 2000, with Obama receiving 45.5 percent of the vote last year.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, considered a likely Democratic candidate for statewide office in coming years, said Carter is one of the most talented politicians in the state because of his ability to connect with voters. Reed said work done now will only benefit Democrats in the long run. - The Washington Post, 11/7/13

And national Democrats are excited about Carter's entrance into the race as well:

http://www.politico.com/...

Hours after the younger Carter announced his plans to challenge Republican incumbent Nathan Deal, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said the Georgia gubernatorial race is now within reach for Democrats.

“Jason Carter’s a star and we’re incredibly excited about his candidacy,” Shumlin told POLITICO after appearing at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. “If any Democrat can win in Georgia, and we think we can, it’s Jason Carter.”

Also Thursday, both Republican and Democratic media trackers told POLITICO that Deal’s campaign was reserving airtime between Nov. 8 and 17, in a sign of an accelerating 2014 election season.

In his longer remarks to reporters at the Monitor event, Shumlin did not mention Georgia — or any Deep South state — among his party’s highest-priority races for 2014. But DGA played a role in luring Carter into the race, commissioning a private survey within the last two months that suggested he could mount a credible challenge to Deal.

Shumlin said that DGA does not formally endorse in primary elections; Carter is not currently expected to face strong intra-party opposition. - Politico, 11/7/13

And Jimmy Carter himself is excited about his grandson's candidacy:

http://www.nydailynews.com/...

Former President Jimmy Carter says he’s excited and proud that his grandson, Jason, has decided to run for governor of Georgia next year.
The elder Carter said in a statement Thursday that he believes his grandson has already done “great things for Georgians through his service in the state Senate and volunteer work throughout the state.”

The former president adds that Georgia faces serious challenges and would “greatly benefit from a smart and fresh leader focused on improving our schools, creating opportunities for a more prosperous middle class and restoring a sense of trust and transparency back to state government.”

Carter’s decision shakes up the 2014 race. Republican Gov. Nathan Deal already faces two primary opponents and now will deal with the prospect of a Carter campaign that will likely be well-financed.

Jason Carter said concerns about education and the economy were at the center of his decision.

“I’ve traveled around the state and people believe our education system is on the brink. People believe the economy is not working for the middle class and people want to see an honest government that works for everyone,” Carter said. “As a state we can’t wait four years to start getting those right.” - New York Daily News, 11/7/13

By the way, Politico released a list of ten things your should no about Carter.  Here are a few that stood out for me:

http://www.politico.com/...

1. He served in the Peace Corps. After graduating from Duke in 1997, he followed his grandmother’s footsteps and spent two years in the Peace Corps. He lived in Lochiel, South Africa, where we worked on education issues in rural areas hardest hit by apartheid. He learned to speak Zulu and Siswati.

3. He’s not stepping down from his state Senate seat. This means he can’t raise campaign funds until the end of the legislative season in the spring. He told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution “there’s too many debates and discussions we have to have in the Senate to quit because of political fundraising.”

4. He’s the first Carter to win an elected office following his grandfather. Carter’s dad, Jack, ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2006, but lost to Sen. John Ensign in Nevada. Jason’s 2010 state Senate victory was the first for the family in over three decades. He’s the first Carter grandchild to seek office.

5. He’s represented NFL players. As a lawyer for Bondurant Mixson & Elmore, Carter helped the National Football League Players Association on a claim allegedly arising out of the NFLPA’s Financial Advisors Program.

7. He wrote a book published by National Geographic. “Power Lines,” published in 2003, details the racial divides he experienced in South Africa while living near the Swaziland border. His grandfather wrote the introduction.

9. He’s a voting rights advocate. As a lawyer, he did pro bono work on a legal challenge to a Republican-backed voter ID law. The service earned him the Stuart Eizenstat Young Lawyer Award from the Anti-Defamation League. - Politico, 11/7/13

Both Nunn and Carter are a new generation of Georgia Democrats with familiar names that could pay off big next year:

http://www.gpb.org/...

But the Nunn and Carter names will evoke a certain nostalgia in 2014 that could be advantageous, said Mercer University political scientist Chris Grant, prompting voters to remember a time when government was more functional and less partisan.

"Sam Nunn was seen as being able to forge compromises in the Senate, worked well with Republicans," Grant said.

"Jimmy Carter also represents a time when rural Georgia, and agricultural Georgia was strongly Democrat, and a sense that government delivered for people who experienced difficulty because of rural poverty."

Jason Carter is not his grandfather any more than Michelle Nunn is her father, Grant added. They are their own people, and voters will get to know them on their own terms as the campaign heats up.

But, he said, these two candidates could each bring a powerful combination to races against Republicans: "Fresh young faces with familiar names." - GPB News, 11/8/13

Not to mention both Democrats could unite both the old and new Democratic base in Georgia:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

Nunn, the head of the Points of Light Foundation and the daughter of former senator Sam Nunn, has already proven she can raise big bucks for her Senate bid. Carter, a state senator and grandson of former president Jimmy Carter who just announced his bid for governor, could also potentially raise big money thanks to his own family’s political roots.

Georgia Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, whose firm has ties to both candidates, said having them both running for office has “created an incredible amount of excitement among Georgia Democrats.” Nunn’s non-profit experience, Johnson said, and Carter’s legislative resume, make them qualified for reasons going beyond their last name.

The other reason Democrats are jazzed is the idea that Nunn and Carter could complement one another politically. Nunn’s father was popular with white, rural voters, while Carter’s grandfather was popular among African Americans. If the two can follow in those footsteps, the thinking goes, they can build a robust coordinated effort to win back the Senate seat and governor’s mansion.

But Republicans aren’t buying it.

“Putting up two white liberals from downtown Atlanta will not help Democrats turn out their largely African American base in November,” said GOP strategist Joel McElhannon. He added that only “a very small portion of our electorate ever voted for a Nunn or a Carter.  The implied Carter or Nunn political machine in Georgia simply does not exist.”

Rapid growth of the Hispanic and African American populations in recent years in Georgia has spurred Democratic interest in turning the state blue. The two demographic groups tend to side heavily with Democrats. - Washington Post, 11/7/13

With a crowded GOP primary for Senator Sexby Chambliss' (R. GA) seat, Tea Party and establishment Republicans are going to rip each other a part and that will play well for Nunn's chances.  Deal on the other hand sees the growing divide in his party's base and is getting scared:

http://www.ajc.com/...

Yesterday, former President Jimmy Carter's grandson announced his intent to run against us. If experience has taught us anything, another Carter at the helm is not what Georgia needs.

And this is just the beginning. I have no doubt in my mind, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and their big government allies will do everything in their power to turn Georgia blue in attempts to further their overreaching liberal agenda.

…. A substantial primary victory is the only way to show these out-of-touch organizations that Georgia is not up for grabs.

…Governor Deal has spent his first term moving our state forward. By reverting to their 1970s ticket, the Democrats are looking to recycle their same failed policies. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/8/13

With his own primary woes and ethics charges, Deal is already getting ready for a tough re-election fight:

http://www.ajc.com/...

We’re picking up word that, 24 hours after state Sen. Jason Carter announced his 2014 Democratic candidacy for governor, Gov. Nathan Deal will air the first TV ad of his Republican re-election campaign.

We’re told that the metro Atlanta buy is in the $120,000 range – not a heavy purchase, but certainly enough to send a message. See the 15-second spot above. There's a 30-second spot as well. Obviously, the ad is drawn from Site Selection magazine's designation of Georgia as its top state for economic development. - Atlanta Journal Constitution, 11/7/13

We've got Deal on the ropes and the Georgia GOP is on the verge of tearing itself apart.  Now the election is a little under a year away and anything can happen between now and then.  But we have the momentum and Georgia and national Democrats are excited about this.  Carter's website isn't up yet but lets help keep Nunn's campaign ready well-fueled and ready to go for next year:
http://www.michellenunn.com/