As Jason Carter and Michelle Nunn work to formulate their campaign messages to appeal to a centrist mindset, they might want to go to school on the man who has already been there and already done that.
Twelfth District Democratic Congressman John Barrow is the answer to a trivia question. He’s the last white Democratic Congressman in the American South, and he continues to frustrate the GOP as it tries this year for the sixth time to beat him. The 12th district covers 19 counties in mainly east and southeast Georgia and includes Augusta. Mitt Romney won it by 12 points.
That district was drastically altered after the last census, and Barrow was the reason. The Republican-controlled legislature gerrymandered Barrow’s own hometown of Savannah out of the 12th for the 2012 race and the GOP thought they had Barrow cornered.
But Barrow didn’t go quietly. In fact he didn’t go at all. Instead he moved to Augusta, ran as someone who defies party labels, spent about $2.8 million and got reelected again.
Barrow has had lack of opportunity to split on policy with his own national Democratic Party. The man knows how to hit the ball a fair distance when circumstances tee it up for him. His latest move recently was to be first among Democrats in Congress to call for the resignation of Veterans Administration Chief Eric Shinseki. (Georgia Congressman David Scott was the other.)
Barrow also has publicly called for Congress to officially condemn the manner in which U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was released from the Taliban; has proposed reforms to the IRS in the wake of its targeting of conservative non–profits; has called for punitive action against Attorney General Eric Holder; and has even previously appeared on a TV ad holding a rifle. If any congressional Democrat can get away with these normally GOP positions, it would be in a Southern state like Georgia. So far Barrow has.
The man is no amateur campaigner. In 2010 the Augusta Chronicle nailed Barrow for sending last-minute mailers to two different target audiences that had entirely contradictory policy messages. But Barrow’s sleight-of-hand worked. He won.
Will this year be different? Critically, the GOP’s nominee Rick Allen won the primary over four opponents without a runoff. He spent more than $600,000 to it, but now he has an extended primary runoff season in which to raise more cash with which to face Barrow. Barrow had $1.5 million at last reporting.
Also importantly, Jack Kingston may prove to be the Republicans’ U.S. Senate nominee. Eastern Georgia is considered home territory for Kingston (home town Savannah), and that might possibly boost turnout for GOP candidates in the region like Allen.
The Republicans’ main campaign strategy appears to be to hang Obamacare around the neck of any and all Georgia Democrats. But Barrow may be able to repel even that criticism if he
can find the money to articulate his position. After all, he voted against the Affordable Care Act, although he now supports tinkering with the law instead of outright repealing it.
Yet he takes “Democratic’ positions on issues that poll well, such as raising the federal minimum wage. This kind of ‘triangulation’ strategy makes Barrow’s candidacy intriguing for political observers.
Barrow is also an incumbent in a year that looks to be shaping up as an anti-incumbent year. Whether barrow being a somewhat unconventional incumbent makes any difference remains to be seen.
Call this race a toss-up.
