Ad war in Georgia governor race heats up

By Aaron Gould Sheinin

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The air war in Georgia's governor race hit new heights Wednesday as the Republican Governors Association released a spot that attempts to tie Democrat Roy Barnes to President Barack Obama.

Barnes, meanwhile, hit back at Republican Nathan Deal with a new ad that ridicules the GOP nominee, saying he has refused to release his tax returns.

Libertarian John Monds is also on the ballot in November.

While Barnes has put 25 years worth of tax returns on his campaign website, Deal has thus far refused to release any of his tax records. The new ad, called "Hiding," is airing across the state, Barnes' campaign said.

"I have released 25 years of my tax returns online because I believe those seeking public office should be committed to the principles of open government and full disclosure," Barnes said in a statement. "Georgians want an ethical leader, one who has nothing to hide; and that is why I'm calling on Congressman Deal to release 25 years of personal and corporate tax returns online."

The former congressman has not ruled out releasing tax records, a Deal spokesman said.

Barnes' campaign is trying to tie Deal's refusal to release his tax records to questions raised in a congressional report earlier this year that found Deal might have violated federal ethics rules in how he reported income from a private business in Gainesville.

The Office of Congressional Ethics, following a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said Deal might have violated rules governing members of Congress' outside income. Deal subsequently amended his 2008 tax returns to reflect that the money he was paid from Gainesville Salvage & Disposal was "unearned" rather than "earned" income.

Meanwhile, the RGA released a 30-second spot and launched a website, Roybama.com, to chronicle the "Obama-Barnes apology tour."

"Our president has traveled the globe apologizing for America," a narrator says. "Our former governor Roy Barnes is traveling the state apologizing for his first term in office. Apologizing for his disastrous education results. Apologizing for his arrogance. Apologizing for ignoring the will of the people.

"Roy Barnes and Barack Obama need to know: Georgians don't want apologies. They want results."

“Only two liberal lawyers who have spent a lifetime in politics would believe that an apology tour, whether it’s in Cairo, Egypt, or Cairo, Georgia, would lead voters to forget their lust for power and disastrous policies," said RGA executive director Nick Ayers, a Georgia native who helped Republican Sonny Perdue topple Barnes' re-election bid in 2002.