Jason Carter works the base, Nathan Deal visits T.D. Jakes

  Conyers -- With just one month until Election Day, Democratic state Sen. Jason Carter and Republican Gov. Nathan Deal spent much of Saturday working their bases – and a little more.

 Carter appeared here Saturday at a boisterous Rockdale County Democratic Party event. “If we do the work, we will win,” Carter said. “And we haven’t been in that situation in a long time. “But here we are and all I am asking you all to do is for the next 31 days -- invest your time, invest your money – a little bit of both or a lot of both.”

Deal appeared in Hall County, but then headed for a speaking gig a Bishop T.D. Jakes event at Philips Arena before heading to Athens this afternoon. Again, the Republican incumbent appears to be directing his attention at women voters. Note the theme of the Jakes event, as Tweeted by the governor’s campaign:

dealjakes

Earlier Saturday morning in Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County Republican Party chairman Rachel Little admonished fellow activists to get past their post-primary blues.

“There are people in this room who are planning to sit on the sidelines and not vote for one or the other of the candidates at the top of the ticket,” she said. “There is no excuse for [people who call themselves activists] for the Republican Party to sit on the sidelines because your guy or girl is not on the ballot.

 “I’m just going to say it: You have to live to fight another day. Turn the page. Vote for our candidates.”

Moments later, 10^th District Republican congressional candidate Jody Hice made the same point. Hice faces Democrat Ken Dious, a longtime civil rights attorney based in Athens, and is heavily favored in November.

 “One of the big responsibilities that we believe we have in the 10^th District is to get the vote out, not only for us but for the governor, for the Senate race, for the school superintendent, for right down the board,” Hice said. “We are actively involved in every one of those races.”

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During his stop in Conyers, Carter brought up the issue of ethics in an attack on the Republican incumbent governor.

Democratic candidate for governor Jason Carter speaking to the Rockdale County Democratic party this morning. AJC/Jeremy Redmon

 “I don’t know where to start,” Carter said. “It’s embarrassing for our state. And we cannot continue to have scandal after scandal after scandal. And let me just put it this way: Imagine you are riding to work in the morning and the radio comes on and there is a story about the governor and it is not about an ethics scandal. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

 Deal spokesman Brian Robinson responded: “Gov. Deal was accused of things. His case was heard and he was cleared. An outside attorney not connected to the state wrote a brief saying that everything he did fell within state law. Jason Carter was accused of an ethical breach. The [Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission] looked at it and he was cleared.”

 “Jason Carter has been accused of things,” Robinson continued. “We have been accused of things. We have both been cleared. That is the bottom line.”

 “The fact that the media has gone to great lengths to attach Gov. Deal to personnel issues at the commission -- that he has no control over –- Georgia voters can see through that.”

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We also have a postscript on the pointed question Carter received Thursday at the Georgia PTA conference involving whether his Special Education Task Force proposed fixes for the problems it found. The Carter campaign said they suspected a plant from the Nathan Deal campaign.

 Asked about the questioner on Saturday, Carter took the expected swipe. “I didn’t know whether she was a plant or not,” the Democrat said. “I always assume the best in people, man. But I would assume that the governor – if he wanted to send a message to the PTA – would have showed up himself.”

 Deal was invited to the Georgia PTA event but did not attend. Campaign aides said he has attended several other PTA events this year.

 Carter has accused Deal’s administration of underfunding public education in Georgia. Deal’s aides pointed out that Carter voted for several state spending plans before criticizing the governor.

 “His entire campaign is based on a fraud,” Robinson said. “He can’t back it up… He gets caught up in his own fibs. He voted for Gov. Deal’s budgets because they prioritized education in hard times. He voted against it when he needed a political hook.”