Archive for October, 2009

Newt Gingrich’s endorsement didn’t matter enough. This from the New York Times:

A moderate Republican whose candidacy for an upstate New York Congressional seat had set off a storm of opposition from national conservative leaders abruptly withdrew on Saturday, emboldening the party’s right at a time when the Republican Party is enmeshed in a debate over how to rebuild itself after last year’s losses.

The candidate, Dede Scozzafava, said she was suspending her campaign in the face of collapsing support and evidence that she was heading for a loss in a three-way race on Tuesday involving a conservative candidate, Douglas Hoffman, and a Democrat,Bill Owens.

Ms. Scozzafava had been under siege from conservative leaders because she supported gay rights and abortion rights and was considered too liberal on various fiscal issues.

The Republican National Committee, which had strongly backed Ms. Scozzafava’s candidacy, issued a statement applauding her decision and announcing it …

Continue reading Republican in N.Y. 23rd abruptly suspends campaign »

The final days of a suddenly compelling race for mayor of Atlanta have been dominated by the two actors with the most cash on hand.

One is Mary Norwood, the councilwoman from Buckhead who — according to a last round of polling — could become the first white mayor of Atlanta since 1974. The other is the Democratic Party of Georgia.

Norwood’s presence isn’t hard to fathom. Her campaign is tightly knit, and she’s been on citywide ballots twice before. Perhaps most important, Norwood saved up her nickels and dimes for an October blitz of TV ads that her rivals haven’t been able to match.

But the unusual decision by the Democratic Party to enter the nonpartisan contest on behalf of former state Sen. Kasim Reed and Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders is more complicated.

Even those who support the decision by the state party’s chairwoman, Jane Kidd, concede that it could risk the longtime — and mutually beneficial — relationship between the party and the …

Continue reading A Democratic gamble in the Atlanta mayor’s race »

Kasim Reed walks in a furrow plowed by the state Democratic party in the TV ad below, which hit Thursday night and emphasizes the former state senator’s status as a Democrat.

It’s a very busy piece of work that a) accuses Mary Norwood of Republicanism and questions her ability; b) establishes Reed’s own partisan credentials; and c) implicitly questions Lisa Border’s ability to take on Norwood in a runoff.

The script:

For mayor, the choice is down to Democrat kasim Reed and Republican Mary Norwood. Norwood is part of the problem, spending more on meals and perks than any other member of City Council. Called “ineffective,” “irresponsible” – Mary Norwood would take us back.

Kasim Reed is working for our future. Tough enough to fight crime and move Atlanta in a new direction. Tuesday, vote for the Democrat who can win: Kasim Reed.

The Mary Norwood campaign, in an apparent attempt to shore up her African-American support, this evening is hitting Atlanta voters with a robocall …

Continue reading Last-minute moves in the Atlanta mayor’s race »

Veteran reporter Tom Crawford of Capitol Impact has posted the following on his subscription web site:

The financial crisis that has resulted in the failure of a record 25 banks in Georgia has also had an impact on the race for governor.

The latest state bank to be shut down by regulators was American United Bank of Lawrenceville, a financial institution established in 2004 to focus on the banking needs of Georgia’s immigrant community.

The chief executive officer of the bank’s holding company, American United Bancorp Inc., is David Poythress, the state’s former labor commissioner and a Democratic candidate for governor.

Poythress retired as adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard in 2007 to become the CEO of the holding company. He was also a member of American United Bank’s board of directors and owned a share of the bank valued at more than $10,000, according to his financial disclosure statement.

“The holding company is still in existence, but we only …

Continue reading David Poythress and the failure of American United Bank »

A second mailer from the state Democratic party hit Atlanta mail boxes today – this one lumping front-running mayoral candidate Mary Norwood with GOP bugabears Rush Limbaugh, George W. Bush and Sarah Palin.

Take a look at the entire flyer by clicking here.

The text doesn’t stray far from the first mail piece, which struck Thursday and can be viewed here — along with Norwood’s defense of herself.

But given the presence on the back of a black woman – the most valuable demographic in city politics – it’s fair to assume that this piece of campaign literature is aimed more at Atlanta’s African-American community.

Editor’s note: Given the impending Atlanta mayoral election, instant commenting has been closed on the Political Insider blog. Readers are invited to submit comments on all posts, which will be published as soon as possible after review.

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter.

Continue reading A second Democratic hit piece on Mary Norwood »

InsiderAdvantage is out with a poll this afternoon in the Atlanta race for mayor that shows Councilwoman Mary Norwood at 45 percent and within reach of outright victory on Tuesday.

Results are similar to those of a WXIA/Survey USA poll conducted earlier this week. The IA poll puts the contest thusly:

Mary Norwood: 45%

Kasim Reed: 25%

Lisa Borders: 16%

Jesse Spikes: 2%

Other: 1%

Undecided: 11%

The poll was conducted Oct. 29 among 704 registered voters in Atlanta. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.6%. The data have been weighted for age, race, gender and political affiliation.

Says InsiderAdvantage’s Matt Towery:

[I]f the election were held today, Norwood would likely be within one or two percent of winning the race without a runoff. Her barrage of ads and the apparent decline in Borders’ support suggests that white voters are moving to Norwood. That said, Reed now appears to be the African-American candidate with substantial support from the black community.

IA has …

Continue reading InsiderAdvantage poll: Mary Norwood at 45 percent »

Cover image of Flyer sent by Democratic Party of Georgia declaring Mary Norwood a Republican

The first sharp, negative attack of the Atlanta mayoral race hit the mailboxes of voters on Thursday, declaring front-runner Mary Norwood’s Republican past to be “the elephant in the room.”

The flyer, paid for by the state Democratic party, urged voters: ”Vote for Kasim Reed. Vote for Lisa Borders. Vote for Reuben McDaniel.”

Reed and Borders, of course, are mayoral candidates trailing Norwood in the polls. McDaniel is a fresh candidate for the Atlanta school board, apparently added to give the flyer a multi-race dimension required by campaign finance laws governing the Democratic party’s unusual decision to enter the contest.

The dominant image of the mailer can be seen above. Download the entire piece here.

Text includes the following:

Norwood’s campaign is financed by the same Republican money men who funded John McCain’s hate-filled campaign against Barack Obama, and who have …

Continue reading The Democratic attack on Mary Norwood »

Atlanta isn’t the only city where nerves are a little raw. This from Atlanta’s Fox5:

Editor’s note: Given the impending Atlanta mayoral election, instant commenting has been closed on the Political Insider blog. Readers are invited to submit comments on all posts, which will be published as soon as possible after review.

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter.

Continue reading Election stress in the tiny town of Temple »

This is late, but Karen Handel’s Republican campaign for governor recently put out a new list of endorsements.

We were going to pass on it, until we noticed that the list included Bill Byrne, the former Cobb County Commission chairman — and yet another critic of Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Byrne lost to Perdue in the 2002 Republican primary for governor. And according to Peach Pundit archives, he was originally in the John Oxendine camp — a senior policy advisor.

Here’s the entire Handel list:

Former State Representative Barbara Bunn, Rockdale

State Representative Wendell Willard, Fulton

State Representative Randy Nix, Troup

Roger Boatright, Bacon County Commissioner

Reid Bowman, Henry County Commissioner

Bill Byrne, Former Cobb County Commission Chairman

Tim Fleming, Newton County Commissioner

Ken Hickey, Thomas County Commissioner

Kevin Jackson, Carroll County Commissioner

Randy Stamey, Henry County Commissioner

Mayor Arthur Letchas, City of Alpharetta

Mayor Joe Lockwood, …

Continue reading Another Perdue nemesis signs up with Karen Handel »

House Democrats have posted on-line a 1,900-page copy of their version of health care reform.

Read it here. Or, if you’re Republican, download and stack it next to your pumpkin on Saturday. Scare the bejeezus out of the kids.

Editor’s note: Given the impending Atlanta mayoral election, instant commenting has been closed on the Political Insider blog. Readers are invited to submit comments on all posts, which will be published as soon as possible after review.

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter.

Continue reading Boo! Dems post 1,900-page health care reform bill »