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Wednesday, November 1, 2006
You pays your money, and you picks your poison
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two more Georgia polls are out today. Here’s a brief summary:
— A poll by Strategic Vision, a Republican-oriented firm, puts the governor’s race as follows: Republican incumbent Sonny Perdue, 52 percent; Democrat Mark Taylor 36 percent; Libertarian Garrett Hayes at 5 percent; and 7 percent undecided. It was conducted over the weekend, Oct. 28-30.
— The findings of the SV poll are similar to those published recently by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, conducted Oct. 25-27. The AJC poll had the gubernatorial contest this way: Perdue, 53 percent; Taylor, 36 percent; Hayes, 3 percent; and 8 percent undecided.
— Also today, a new Zogby/Wall Street Journal tracking poll has the candidates as follows: Perdue, 48.3 percent; Taylor, 36.3 percent; Libertarian Garrett Michael Hayes, 9.1 percent; and 6.3 percent undecided. It was conducted Oct. 23-27.
— Like the Zogby poll, the tracking survey by Insider Advantage also puts Perdue below the 50 percent mark. It was conducted Oct. 23-26. Here’s its line-up: Perdue, 49 percent; Taylor, 39 percent, Hayes, 7 percent, with 5 percent undecided.
But it’s Strategic Vision that has paid the most attention to down-ballot races. Here are the SV’s Wednesday numbers — keep in mind a 3 percent margin-of-error:
State Supreme Court Justice (non-partisan): Incumbent Carol Hunstein, 52 percent; Mike Wiggins, 30 percent; and 18 percent undecided.
Lieutenant Governor: Casey Cagle, 48 percent; Democrat Jim Martin, 37 percent; Libertarian Allen Buckley, 5 percent; and 10 percent undecided.
Secretary of State: Republican Karen Handel, 38 percent; Democrat Gail Buckner, 30 percent; Libertarian Kevin Madsen, 3 percent; and 29 percent undecided.
Attorney General: Democratic incumbent Thurbert Baker, 47 percent; Republican Perry McGuire, 33 percent; with 20 percent undecided.
School Superintendent: Republican incumbent Kathy Cox, 48 percent; Democrat Denise Majette, 33 percent; Libertarian David Chastain, 2 percent; and 17 percent undecided.
State Agriculture Commissioner: Democratic incumbent Tommy Irvin, 46 percent; Republican Gary Black, 38 percent; Libertarian Jack Cashin, 3 percent; and 13 percent undecided.
State Insurance Commissioner: Republican incumbent John Oxendine, 54 percent; Democrat Guy Drexinger, 29 percent; and 17 percent undecided.
State Labor Commissioner: Democratic incumbent Michael Thurmond, 46 percent; Republican Brent Brown, 36 percent; and 18 percent undecided.
Zell invades Pennsylvania, hunting for shoe factory
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
National Review Online has this below about Zell Miller’s foray into the North on behalf of Rick Santorum. Many thanks to newdonkey.com for pointing it out.
Here ‘tis:
Harrisburg - During a radio interview late yesterday in Harrisburg, former Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) formally kicked off Democrats for Santorum, a statewide coalition of Democrats dedicated to Senator Santorum’s reelection effort.
Over 7,000 members strong, Democrats for Santorum is a coalition of Pennsylvanians who share Senator Santorum’s commitment to national security, lower taxes, and less government regulation.
During the radio interview, Senator Miller said, “I am not involved in any other race in the country. I am only doing this for Rick Santorum. I believe in Rick Santorum’s leadership that much.
I believe in his leadership more than anyone else I served with in the US Senate…Rick Santorum was more than just a good friend to me, he was someone I looked up to for guidance.”
Your Hunstein/Wiggins fix: The soap opera continues
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The saga of Georgia’s race for the Supreme Court continues. In our last episode, the sister of Mike Wiggins permitted her attorney to speak for her. Details in separate blogs below.
Now comes Wiggins with a statement published by his campaign today, including some declaratives from his lawyers in the family squabble. Which we will follow with a further statement from incumbent Justice Carol Hunstein, also issued this morning.
To wit:
STATEMENT OF PAUL WOODALL AND EMILY BONDS
of WALSTON, WELLS & BIRCHALL, LLP
NOVEMBER 1, 2006
“Our firm has represented Mike Wiggins beginning in 1998 in the litigation that involved his sister. Throughout such time, Mike has conducted himself professionally and courteously in all of our dealings with him throughout a very difficult legal battle with his sister to keep his mom alive and to protect her assets.
Mike’s position in the case was ultimately vindicated:
The judge awarded Mike sole guardianship of their mother.
The judge ordered that Mike’s sister repay $12,500 to their mother’s estate.
The judge approved Mike’s request to transfer their mother to “any medical or health care facility that he may select in his sole discretion.”
The court then ordered that his sister “return any and all personal property that she removed” from their mother’s residence and turn over the keys of such residence to Mike.
The political attacks that attempt to distort the truth cannot change the fact that Mike finally achieved justice for himself and for his mother. It is hard to imagine that someone would attempt to politicize such a very difficult period in the private life of a family.�
STATEMENT OF MIKE WIGGINS
“At the time that my sister made these allegations, I denied them. I deny them again now. Of course, it is very disturbing that Carol Hunstein’s campaign would continue to drag my sister into this, instead of leaving her in peace to tend to her family.
“Carol Hunstein’s adamant refusal to move on to the issues — and continue to pull a family’s deep and private wounds into this election — only confirms for me that she will do absolutely anything to divert the public’s attention from her liberal, activist record on the Georgia Supreme Court.
Her record is replete with evidence of legislating from the bench and letting dangerous criminals go free. Moreover, she fails to explain how it is not a conflict of interest for her campaign to take money from trial lawyers one week and sit on their cases the next. Those are the issues she avoided in the debate and remains desperate to avoid. Georgians deserve better.�
And now from the other candidate:
WIGGINS’ FALSE ‘REBUTTAL’ TO HUNSTEIN AD DIGS EVEN DEEPER HOLE FOR SUPREME COURT CANDIDATE WITH NO EXPERIENCE
ATLANTA – Last week, in response to ads distorting her record in criminal cases, Justice Hunstein began airing a television commercial pointing out that Mike Wiggins has neither the experience nor values to be a Supreme Court Justice.
The commercial states that: (1) Mr. Wiggins has never tried a case: (2) he was sued by his mother for taking her money; (3) he sued his only sister; (4) his sister swore he threatened to kill her; and (5) the judge restrained Mr. Wiggins from ever contacting his sister again. The truth of these statements is supported by court records.
Without any supporting authority other than his own word, Mr. Wiggins claims the commercial is false. He claims to have tried cases, but gives no details.
He says his mother sued him so she could recover money she was allegedly owed by a “third party.� And he claims that he sued his sister to fulfill a promise to her mother, save her life and recover money that was stolen from her estate.
Today, the Hunstein campaign issued the following statement:
“Mike Wiggins can’t seem to tell the truth and won’t discuss his record.�
“Rather than admitting he has never tried a case, Wiggins says he has such experience but won’t say what it is.�
“Rather than simply admitting he was sued by his mother for taking her money, he has concocted an unbelievable scenario involving his agreement to be a defendant in an apparently bogus lawsuit seeking to recover money from him that he didn’t have and that was owed by someone else. It is not surprising that he refuses to provide any further details.�
“Rather than admitting he verbally abused and threatened his sister and that he was ordered by a judge to never contact her again, Mr. Wiggins says his sister – a respected member of the Sacred Heart Elementary School Board in Cullman, Ala. – committed perjury.
“And, in a blatant effort to confuse the voters, Mr. Wiggins claims that his mother is being attacked when the Hunstein ad does no such thing.�
