Politics
Once Again, a Carter Aims to Govern in Georgia
Georgia Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur, talks to members of the media after filing his formal candidacy papers to run for governor at the State Ethics Commission Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013 in Atlanta. Carter is the grandson of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jason Getz)
ATLANTA (New York Times) — The most famous name in the Georgia governor’s race belongs to the challenger, State Senator Jason Carter, grandson of Jimmy Carter, the former president who served as Georgia governor from 1971 to 1975. But rather than a referendum on the Carter legacy, the race remains focused to a large extent on the record of Nathan Deal, the former congressman and current occupant of the governor’s mansion.
Mr. Deal, 72, a polished Republican who has spent more than three decades in public office, has been fighting for a second term amid sustained trouble at the state ethics commission stemming from his previous campaign for governor; chronic public school funding shortfalls; and an 8.1 percent statewide unemployment rate, the highest in the nation.
Not surprisingly, his Democratic rival, Mr. Carter, appears to have decided that he has better options than playing the famous grandfather card.
Instead, Mr. Carter, 39, has incessantly pummeled Mr. Deal on ethics issues and criticized the governor for Georgia’s underfunded education system — which, Mr. Carter argues, helps explain the state’s poor jobs numbers.
