The Nov. 4 General Election is one week away and Republicans in Habersham are rallying behind their candidates. About fifty people turned out Monday to show their support for Georgia governor Nathan Deal and other state-wide elected officials. Deal, along with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Secy. of State Brian Kemp, Public Service Commissioners Lauren “Bubba” McDonald and Doug Everett, and 9th District U.S. Rep. Doug Collins rolled into Habersham aboard Deal’s campaign bus. They stopped at the Community House in Cornelia which served as the backdrop for the event.
The theme of the rally was two-fold: Get out the GOP vote and jobs, jobs, jobs.
Jobs and the economy are the centerpiece of Georgia’s gubernatorial campaign. Deal touts his record on job growth; close to 300,000 new jobs added since he took office in 2011. During Monday’s event in Cornelia he cited rankings that place Georgia at the top of the list of the best states for business. Georgia was ranked #1 by Site Selection magazine and CNBC. Deal says his economic policies are working. “Last year we created more jobs in Georgia than 44 other states in the entire union,” Deal told the crowd. “And many of the states that were ahead of us were two to three times larger in population than we were.”
Meanwhile, Deal’s Democratic challenger, State Senator Jason Carter, points to Georgia’s unemployment rate as evidence to back his claims that Deal’s economic policies aren’t working.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Georgia’s unemployment rate in September was 7.9%, two points higher than the national average. It’s the second straight month Georgia has had the highest unemployment rate in the nation.
Carter’s campaign may be gaining traction among some voters with the unemployment argument, but third-party candidate, Libertarian Andrew Hunt, has had little luck gaining traction with voters in his bid for the governor’s mansion. The high-tech entrepreneur from Atlanta has been all but silenced by the noise flowing between the Deal and Carter camps.
Despite the political challenge on two fronts, Deal remains focused on his message about the economy and education. He recently oversaw the successful passage of a $7.95 billion state education budget. The budget will funnel an additional $535 million into Georgia’s schools next year.
“It represents a higher percentage of general revenue for K-12 education than any four years of any governor’s term in office since Carl Sanders was governor in the early 1960s,” Deal said. Deal criticized Carter for opposing the measure. Carter was one of five senators who voted against it. He has gone on record saying he opposed it because it “underfunded” education.
If his record on the economy and education aren’t enough to sway voters next Tuesday it appears Deal hopes his experience will. During Monday’s rally the governor – a former U.S. Congressman and state legislator – chided Carter’s credentials. “Jason Carter has been a senator for the entire time I’ve been the governor of this state. He has not passed a single bill. He’s not had any position of leadership, even within his own Democrat caucus in the Senate or within his predominantly dominated Democrat membership of the Dekalb County delegation of either the House or the Senate. And if he has not been selected as a leader by the folks who know him best, that ought to tell you something.”
A poll released Friday by the Atlanta Journal Constitution shows Deal leading Carter by 5 points, 46%-41% with Hunt claiming 5% of the likely voters who were polled. Other polls have shown Carter in the lead off and on throughout the campaign. All current polls are within the margin of error.
While the election may be too close to call, chances are good there will be a runoff. Georgia law requires a runoff in elections where no one candidate receives 50% of the vote. With a third party candidate on the ballot it is likely Deal and Carter will face off again at the polls on December 2.
Despite all the uncertainty, Deal remains positive. “We’re feeling pretty good about it. We’ve had the opportunity to go all around the state of Georgia and I think people are beginning to get energized. People can’t take it for granted. They have to get out and vote.”
Early voting in Habersham ends Friday, Oct. 31. You can vote M-F from 8-5pm at the Country Registrars Office, the Ruby C. Fulbright Aquatic Center or Historic Cornelia Depot.
If you wait to cast your ballot on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 4, you must vote at your regularly assigned precinct. Election day poll hours are 7am-7pm.
If you’re unsure of which precinct you’re assigned to, contact the county elections office at 706-839-0170 or visit www.mvp.sos.ga.gov online.
To review the general election ballot click here.
More photos of Deal’s campaign rally in Cornelia
