Home > Ballot Blogs > Archives > 2006 > November > 06 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USPerdue leads GOP fly-around
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fresh off his final confrontation with Mark Taylor, a Sunday night debate, Gov. Sonny Perdue took his re-election campaign to major cities across the state.
Flying out of Epps Aviation at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport off Clairmont Road in DeKalb County, Perdue led a slate of statewide candidates and trailing media. In all, they took three airplanes, with the governor in the lead plane, the statewide GOP candidates on a second plane and media trailing on a third.
Before the day is over the trip will make stops in Macon, Savannah, Augusta, Dalton, Albany and Columbus. The long day ends in Atlanta back at Peachtree-DeKalb for one final rally before voting begins on Tuesday.
The statewide fly-around ends a trip that has taken Perdue over the past two weeks to nearly three dozen communities across Georgia.
In most of his stops, Perdue has drawn between 100 and 200 local residents who’ve heard the governor speak about family, faith, values, integrity and his desire to “leave Georgia better than I found it.”
Perdue said the trip across Georgia has given him insights that he will take with him into a second term - if he’s re-elected as most polls indicate he will be.
Governing Georgia’s 9 million-plus residents has been “an awesome responsibility,” Perdue has repeatedly told Georgians throughout the tour.
He’s seen prosperous, growing communities and others struggling just to stay afloat. He’s gone through rural, farming communities and urban centers.
Perdue said he tries to look past the competing, local issues to themes that resonate across dividing lines.
“They all would have some local concerns,” Perdue said. “But they have some similar concerns, too.” He noted healthcare, children, schools, jobs and economic prosperity.
And, while Perdue isn’t spending more than 30 minutes or so at any of the stops and just a few seconds with most voters, he said the experience is valuable.
“It helps you to have an appreciation and understanding to govern better,” Perdue said. “You see the pride, the passion people have for their home towns. It encourages you.”
Permalink | | Categories: Campaign trail diary: Perdue
