Kasim Reed wants new party leadership: 'I do not believe the kind of failure we saw ... should be rewarded'

FAILURE SHOULD NOT BE REWARDED

Late Wednesday, the chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, DuBose Porter, announced plans to seek re-election, arguing he had rebuilt a party infrastructure that "hit rock bottom" less than two years ago with failed leadership and no money.

Reed, however, will not be supporting Porter, pointing to the Nov. 4 losses by Democrats Michelle Nunn and Jason Carter. He said it was the third election in a row in which Democrats ran the same campaign, focused primarily on trying to persuade those who used to be in the party rather than working to expand the Democratic electorate.

"I do not believe the kind of failure we saw in November 2014 should be rewarded in politics," Reed said, adding he didn't appreciate Porter citing President Barack Obama as the reason for the losses. "I think he should have taken greater personal responsibility rather than blaming the president who did exactly what the party advised him to do, which was to stay away."

FERGUSON MAILER

Reed also questioned the timing of a state party mailer designed to rally black voters by invoking the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

"The Ferguson mail piece was a last-ditch attempt to generate enthusiasm that you should have been working at for a very long time," Reed said, adding the mailer put Nunn on the defensive at a time when she'd been gaining traction in her attacks on GOP businessman David Perdue's outsourcing comments. Reed said the mailer had a "significant impact" on independent and swing voters.

"I believe that Ferguson could have been an appropriate topic but it is a topic that had to be used very delicately and thoughtfully," Reed said. "It, in my mind, after Michelle had spent an entire year and tens of millions of dollars campaigning as a bipartisan, non-divisive candidate, was the exact opposite of that."

2016 CAMPAIGN

Reed has been an early supporter of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should she decide to run for president in 2016. Despite the 8-point loss by Nunn and Carter, Reed believes Georgia can be competitive because each lost by only about 200,000 votes.

The mayor predicted Clinton would be able to attract both white and black voters in Georgia, exceeding Obama's totals in 2008 and 2012. Reed argued white voters will remember the economic prosperity under former President Bill Clinton, while black voters will be energized by historical ties with the Clintons. Reed also said Democrats could use Georgia to put Republicans on the defensive.

"There is no path mathematically for Republicans if they lose Georgia," Reed said.

The biggest statewide race in 2016 will be for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Johnny Isakson, who kicked off his re-election campaign this week.

"I think 2016 will be very difficult to attract one of the leading Democrats to take on Sen. Isakson because of the reputation that he has in the state and the affection folks have for him," Reed said. "I would not run against him."

2018 GOVERNOR'S RACE

Reed didn't shut the door on a possible campaign for governor in 2018 but he didn't open it either.

"I believe I have one more campaign in me, but the decision I have is whether in 2018 to spend some time in the private sector focusing on my family and my daughter," Reed said. "I'm not inclined to run for governor in 2018. I'm inclined to go be in the private sector."

One person who could run is Carter, the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter. Reed dismissed reports of a feud between the two and addressed speculation he didn't do enough to help Carter in his bid against Republican Gov. Nathan Deal. Reed said he did everything he was asked by the Carter campaign.

"They ran the campaign they wanted to run," Reed said. "You have some folks who said during the campaign that (my) help wouldn't matter. ... These folks are trying to have it both ways."