After watching David Perdue emerge as the bloodied victor from a grueling nine-week GOP runoff, Georgia Democrats bring rising optimism to the U.S. Senate race. Democrat nominee Michelle Nunn heads into the fall Senate campaign with a strong fund-raising base and favorable poll numbers as Perdue seeks to reunite a Republican Party split by his surprise win over GOP establishment favorite U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston.
Political observers cited Perdue’s ability to build a grassroots network and get voters to the polls as key factors in overcoming Kingston’s fund-raising power and support from GOP officials and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Now the Democrats hope to counter Perdue with their own local appeal. “Elections are always a matter of mass – whoever turns out those voters win,” said state Rep. Stacey Abrams of Atlanta, a Democratic leader. She said the Democrats “have a really strong opportunity” to win not only the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by incumbent Saxby Chambliss, but the Georgia governorship and other state races. “Democrats have energized the electorate in Georgia in a way we haven’t seen in quite some time,” Abrams said.
With Nunn offering Democrats a winnable race in the South to retain control of the U.S. Senate, the Georgia campaign will draw intense national interest and a flood of political-action- committee money. Even before the runoff election Tuesday, the national Ending Spending Action Fund backed by TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts was running television ads attacking Nunn. But Georgia Democrats say the PAC ad barrage won’t play as much of a significant role as the candidates personally connecting with voters in their communities. Abrams said the key will be “who people are and what they stand for.” She said she believes Nunn’s message of support for families, small businesses and working class people will resonate with voters. Jim Martin, the Atlanta Democrat who ran a strong U.S. Senate campaign against Chambliss in the 2008 election, said that Nunn and Jason Carter, the Democrats’ candidate for governor, must “get beyond the noise and reach the public. It’s not an easy thing to do, it requires money and effort.” Martin said he hopes that Georgia voters “will be immune from that outside sort of chatter.” With her background directing the nonprofit Points of Light organization, Nunn offers a clear alternative to Perdue, a business CEO criticized for cost-cutting and causing layoffs, Abrams said.
In contrast, Nunn can point to a 25-year record of “serving citizens, helping make lives of everyday people better. She has a lifetime of service.” Perdue’s business background drew fire from fellow Republicans during the primary and runoff campaigns. Abrams cited the comments of U.S. Rep. and Senate candidate Phil Gingrey during a primary debate that “Perdue got the gold mine and the poor employees got the shaft.” The Perdue-Kingston campaign, she said, “demonstrated such divisiveness, how their entire narrative is built around being oppositional.”
The Democrats head into battle with a well-funded campaign war chest and united front against a divided and financially depleted Republican Party. Reports show Nunn with $3.7 million on hand and raising $3.5 million over the last three months. Perdue turned the U.S. Chamber’s backing of Kingston against him, citing the chamber’s support for immigration reform as a sign that Kingston supports “amnesty” for illegal immigrants. Now, the chamber will find it tough to support Perdue. But Perdue’s campaign has strengths, including his own personal fortune. He reportedly spent $3 million of his own money in defeating Kingston. As the nephew of former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, whose political base is South Georgia, Perdue has built a strong local network.. He’s also likely to draw significant financial support from outside PACs. Perdue ran as an political outsider, and Nunn will use that strategy as well. Whoever is more successful will likely win.
The GOP’s Tea Party wing, based on opposition to government programs and dissatisfaction with Washington, displayed significant strength in the runoff. State Sen. Barry Loudermilk overwhelmingly defeated former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr in metro Atlanta’s 11th congressional district, while Tea Party candidate Jody Hice scored a strong win over GOP establishment supported Mike Collins in the 10th district. That Tea Party strength could give a significant boost to Perdue. Nunn, while energizing her Democratic base, must draw support from more moderate voters who have voted for Republicans in the past.
