Georgia Republicans have been able to rattle off a long list of achievements over the past five years at the state Capitol because of a near-lockstep embrace of their top priorities by GOP leaders.
But Republicans are showing signs of fissures six years into Gov. Nathan Deal's tenure. And the extent of the governor's divide with House Speaker David Ralston over key policies could sway some of the most divisive debates in the Legislature this year and for the rest of Deal's term.
The speaker has taken up a call to expand Georgia's medical marijuana program, despite Deal's public misgivings. Ralston and Senate President Pro Tem David Shafer, R-Duluth, have called on Deal's administration to reverse a controversial rule dealing with craft beer, and Ralston became the highest-profile critic of Deal's ambitions to tie teacher pay to the performance of their students.
All three say they remain close and downplay any disagreements. And the friction pales in comparison with the vitriol between Deal's and Ralston's predecessors, Gov. Sonny Perdue and House Speaker Glenn Richardson, or the vicious infighting in the 1980s between Democrats Tom Murphy, who led the House for decades, and then-Lt. Gov. Zell Miller.
But the policy divides bring a new dynamic into play at a pivotal time for leaders under the Gold Dome.
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