Kentucky’s Fancy Farm event is known as a staple of old school, raucous political fare. Officeholders and would-be officeholders press the flesh, pack the venue with supporters, and speak to a crowd where audience silence and restraint are pleas you will not win.
Here in Georgia, things get taken to another level. Debates for both Senate and governor are set for this evening at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry. David Perdue and Michelle Nunn met in a forum put on by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce in late August, the format of which did not resemble what’s in store for them now. The same goes for Governor Nathan Deal and Jason Carter. Those two met in a recent education forum that turned into a makeshift debate, though the format was similarly not geared towards such.
At Fancy Farm candidates speak, often with prepared remarks. In Perry, they spar, with a proverbial 12th man coming in the form of an audience. If anyone ever doubts the adage that “politics ain’t beanbag,” make them tune into a livestream tonight.
In 2002, then-Governor Roy Barnes had enough money to burn a wet mule and was heavily favored over an underfunded, lesser-known Republican named Sonny Perdue. At the Perry Fair debate, though, the suit-clad incumbent appeared aloof and out of touch with fair-goers. He was, of course, in Perdue’s home county, but hindsight has led the moment to be remembered as a turning point in what wound up being an historic upset. Four years later, Perdue made the case for his re-election against Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor at a debate in which the cheers and jeers of the audience made hearing difficult. And in 2010, Austin Scott and Jim Marshall took it to one another in what was described as a “bruising” affair in a matchup for Georgia’s 8th congressional district. So intense was it that the two were photographed debating further after the final bell; Scott ultimately unseated Marshall, a four-term incumbent Democrat.
Of this year’s crop, only Deal has experience in the gauntlet that is this format, having collided with Roy Barnes’s 2010 attempt at a comeback four years ago. That one was described by the AJC as a “lights-out, Texas cage match.” He was a clear frontrunner then; now he’s locked in a tight battle with Carter and just yesterday launched his most bruising TV attack yet on the Democrat. Suffice to say we can expect a similar dispatch following tonight’s debate.
Both Perdue and Nunn approach the proceedings as a hometown affair. The former is the first cousin of the former governor and grew up in Houston County. Being the daughter of former Senator Sam Nunn, the latter traces her roots back to Perry. Electorally speaking, the county has been trending Republican since before Sonny Perdue became governor, though Nunn will look to push back against that idea by packing the venue with supporters. Democrats are frequently derided by their counterparts for busing in union supporters, but each side has mounted a vigorous effort at packing the room with their backers this year.
The Fair itself, too, becomes a political stomping ground during election cycles. Campaigns and local party organizations set up booths riddled with campaign merchandise. On Saturday, David Perdue walked in the Georgia National Fair Parade with local supporters; Michelle Nunn’s father Sam did the same on his daughter’s behalf. Prior to the aforementioned debates in 2010, Roy Barnes and Austin Scott paused from pressing flesh for a photo op; it began with the Democrat quipping: “Turn around here. We’ll ruin your reputation.”
Following the showdowns, each side will tout themselves as the victor and assert it as a sign their campaign has momentum heading into the homestretch. Onlookers and pundits, too, will do their work, posing questions before and declaring winners after. For now, though, if only for moment, let’s get some fair food and revel in a tradition of Georgia politics.
###
Brandon Howell is a conservative communications strategist and a writer.
