Judge races on May 20 ballot
Many Georgians don’t realize that judicial elections will appear on May 20 primary ballots in some counties. While there are no contested statewide judicial races, there are high-profile campaigns in two of Georgia’s largest counties for open or contested judgeships.
In Cobb County, for example, there is a lively three-way slugfest for an open seat on the Superior Court due to the retirement of veteran Judge Jim Bodiford. Defense attorney Nathan Wade says it’s time to elect a black to the all-white bench, senior assistant district attorney Ann Harris pledges to “hold cold-blooded killers accountable” and Juvenile Court Judge Juanita Steadman touts her service in presiding over successful drug courts.
In Georgia’s most populous county, there are two contested Fulton County Superior Court judgeship races. Incumbent Judge Tom Campbell, a former GOP state legislator, is challenged by liberal trial lawyer Tom Cox. Incumbent Judge Kelly Lee garnered opposition from Patricia “Pat” Jackson, who has been dodging media interviews.
The Fulton County Superior Court is important. Many lawsuits originate there because Atlanta is the seat of both county and state government. A decade ago, the bench was basically a bastion of liberal judicial activism and, in a few cases, incompetence. Since then appointments by Republican governors, as well as election victories, have resulted in more “conservative” constitutionalist judges.
The judicial races are non-partisan, and appear on all ballots. Unlike the partisan primary contests, May 20 is the final “general election” for judges.
Time for Michelle Nunn to debate
While Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate vying for their party’s nomination have engaged in six debates, Democrat senatorial candidate Michelle
Nunn has been steadfastly refusing to engage in any debate with her Democrat opponents. That strategy is wearing thin not only with journalists who seek to inform their audiences, but with a growing number of Democrats who want information or clarification regarding Nunn’s policy positions.
Nunn’s stance is “offensive” charges Joe Wisenbaker, who chairs the influential Clarke County Democrat Party. He says Nunn is “avoiding opportunities to speak” – including the dodging of debates— and thus shows “disrespect” to the other candidates.
My Atlanta Fox5 TV Georgia Gang colleague and veteran journalist Dick Williams recently interviewed one of her opponents, Dr. Branko Radulovacki. Williams says that “Dr. Rad” is articulate, has an impressive background and resume in economics and “in a debate would wipe the floor with Michelle Nunn.” Furthermore, Williams notes, “the leftist Radulovacki in a debate would force Nunn to publicly veer more to the left.”
Nunn is torn between growing party dissatisfaction at what some are terming “cowardice” and the prospect of having to finally engage her Democrat opponents— thus giving voters more specific information ranging from her defense of unpopular Obamacare to her tax-and-spend ideas. She knows such specifics would undermine her current feel-good TV ads.
Tea Party Patriots vs. Washington Post
True-blue political conservatives don’t have much use for the liberal Washington Post newspaper. Nevertheless eyebrows were raised when the Post reported that, of the $7.4 million raised by the Tea Party Patriots’ political action committee headed by Atlantan Jenny Beth Martin since the beginning of 2013, only $184,505 had been directly funneled into helping elect candidates. In reporting that the super PAC spends a large share of its money on fundraising, salaries and operations, it also noted Martin could personally rake in as much as $450,000 in income this year.
The Tea Party Patriots fired back, saying Martin’s salary can’t be “objectively considered to be unreasonable” because she “probably works 90 to 100 hours a
week.” Spokesman Kevin Broughton further says that while direct mail fundraising is expensive the PAC definitely plans to ramp up its contributions to candidates this summer and fall.
It is true that direct mail fundraising is very expensive because an organization must repeatedly keep mass mailing to expand lists and donations. However, the heads of various organizations tell this writer that the key to saving money is to effectively negotiate reasonable contracts with a vendor or vendors. There are many sharks in the business who all too often charge exorbitant fees, they say. Buyer beware!
Perception is often reality in the eyes of the public and, in this case, donors or potential donors. Many on the Right have viewed the Patriots organization as a valuable voice and information source, as well as a resource for candidate support. Now– fairly or unfairly– it has a public relations problem. Its most effective rebuttal to the Post will be how it trims salaries and overhead while committing more cash to deserving conservative candidates.
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