Jason Carter declares Georgia a 'battleground state' in DNC address
“Greetings from the battleground state of Georgia.”
That was how former state Sen. Jason Carter opened his address to the Democratic National Convention to assert that Georgia is in play this November thanks to Donald Trump’s rise.
Carter, a 2014 candidate for Georgia governor who could be eying another run, was on stage to introduce his famous grandfather.
“I promise he is itching to get on the campaign trail and elect Hillary Clinton,” he said of former President Jimmy Carter.
Then it was time for the elder Carter's videotaped address, one in which he contrasted Hillary Clinton’s message of working “to hold people up” with Trump’s acceptance speech.
Said the elder Carter:
"At a moment when it's become more important than ever to lift people up, to offer hope and a road map to a brighter future, instead we see a Republican president candidate who seems to violate some of the most important moral and ethical principles on which our nation was founded. We can and must do better."
He added: "And fortunately, the Democratic nominee we will soon be choosing offers a stark contrast in both substance and style, and also as competence and experience, to what the Republicans have chosen."
Here's a copy of Jason Carter's full remarks:
Greetings from the battleground state of Georgia.When my grandfather accepted the Democratic nomination for president, he stood before this group and said: "It is time for America to move and to speak not with boasting and belligerence but with a quiet strength, to depend in world affairs not merely on the size of an arsenal but on the nobility of ideas, and to govern at home not by confusion and crisis but with grace and imagination and common sense."
Those words feel even more relevant today than they did 40 years ago. And I promise that he is itching to get on the campaign trail and elect Hillary Clinton.This last year has been a remarkable one for our family. Almost exactly a year ago, my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer. He approached his diagnosis with the exact faith, dignity, and strength we've come to expect. He never stopped working for peace and health around the world, and he never stopped teaching Sunday school at home in Plains.
Today, thanks to the miracle of modern science and the power of prayer, I am happy to report that his cancer is gone. Not only that, but earlier this month, he and my grandmother celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.
My grandparents demonstrate that there is a strength in love, humility, and service that no amount of anger, pride, or salesmanship can match. That principled strength sustains them in the work they do every day, and that same principled strength will elect Hillary Clinton as our next president.
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
