So many interesting political races around the country … it’s difficult to focus on just one.
Let’s look briefly at Georgia.
Democrats think they have a chance of recapturing a U.S. Senate seat and the governorship there. How? With two familiar names running in that state.
One of them is Michelle Nunn, candidate for the U.S. Senate, and daughter of the great former Sen. Sam Nunn; the other is Jason Carter, grandson of the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-07-23/democrats-make-their-stand-in-georgia
According to Bloomberg’s Al Hunt, Nunn and Carter are running ahead of their Republican opponents, David Perdue and Nathan Deal, respectively.
Can they turn the tide? Well, time will tell.
Neither Nunn or Carter represents what conservatives are fond of calling the “radical left” of the Democratic Party. If Nunn is anything like Daddy Sam, she would be able to work nicely across the aisle with Senate Republicans, provided they are willing to reciprocate. Indeed, Michelle Nunn was a soldier in President George H.W. Bush’s “Points of Light” program.
As for young Carter, who’s running for governor against a wounded incumbent, he too represents a more centrist core of his party. Grandpa Jimmy, one must remember, was elected in 1976 partly on the strength of his appeal to middle America. He lost re-election, of course, to Ronald Reagan in 1980 after the economy tanked and after suffering through that 444-day hostage siege at the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Jason, though, is no flaming liberal that is such a popular target for right-wing Republicans.
The Georgia political landscape might be ripe for a change. Carter vs. Deal is going to feature some discussion about the governor’s business dealings, which have caused him some grief at home.
As for the Senate race, the GOP might rally from its bitter primary runoff between Perdue and U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston. I’ll say this, though, about Nunn: She comes from a conservative pedigree herself. No one ever accused Sam Nunn of being soft on defense — or soft on anything or anybody, for that matter.
Like father, like daughter? Democrats hope so.