Georgia Democrats once tiptoed around the National Rifle Association. The latest Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 Action News poll shows why they don't any more: -- Eight in 10 likely Democratic primary voters disapprove of the NRA and roughly 90 percent want stricter regulations for the sale of firearms.
-- Overall, NRA disapproval is consistent along gender lines. Enmity lessens among those Democrats without college degrees.
-- The AJC/C2AN poll numbers could also help explain why the NRA last week chose to endorse in Georgia's Republican primaries for governor and lieutenant governor -- picking Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and state Sen. David Shafer, respectively.
Witness this tussle over guns in the GOP race for lieutenant governor, posted this morning.
In the past, the gun rights organization has waited until after party nominations are settled to make their picks. But the above numbers indicate that an NRA endorsement may no longer be worth as much in a general election.
-- Democrats also resoundingly support Delta Air Lines, which lost its shot at a lucrative tax break on jet fuel after the airline cut its business ties with the NRA. Three-in-four Democratic voters approve of Delta.
-- Roughly the same proportion of Democratic primary voters back another corporate titan - Amazon - which is scouting metro Atlanta for a second headquarters.
One more tidbit from the AJC/C2AN poll: A trace of #MeTooism can be found in Democratic approval ratings for President Donald Trump. Men were more than two times likelier than women to give the president a decent grade, but that’s not saying much. Overall, Trump earned an approval rate of 7 percent from likely Democratic voters.
We asked likely Republican voters the same questions, and we'll have those results back next week. Here's the full story.
***
The poll also showed Sarah Riggs Amico lagging behind her rival Triana James in the race for the Democratic primary nomination for lieutenant governor. This was a bit of a surprise, given Amico's huge fundraising advantage: $711,145 in contributions raised as of March 30 compared to James' $9,919.
The fact that 70 percent of likely Democratic voters remain undecided was not. Expect Amico to start pouring cash into TV advertising and other get-out-the-vote efforts.
“I am loving traveling this great state and meeting the voters - and wherever we go our message is resonating,” she said. “The next five weeks are going to be exciting."
***
We told you yesterday that Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue had appointed Tommie Williams, a former Georgia Senate colleague from Lyons, Ga., as minister-counselor for agriculture in the U.S. Mission to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome. As in Italy.
We didn’t hear from Williams until last night -- he’s already in Washington prepping for the assignment. He cleared up a few of our questions:
-- The appointment doesn’t require U.S. Senate approval. The former Senate president pro tem is good to go.
-- Williams and his family intend to leave for the three-year overseas mission in mid-July.
-- He’s already got a little Italian under his belt, but it’s somewhat rusty. He and his family (Williams has two school-aged children) will be taking some immersive language lessons.
***
The Brunswick News reports that U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, is battening down the hatches for a tough re-election season:
He closed out March with more than $1 million on hand and raised more than $162,000 this past quarter ahead of the most spirited Democratic challenge for the Republican's seat in quite some time.
That said, it's likely to be an uneven contest on the Georgia coast. Two Democrats are running against Carter: Barbara Seidman, a retiree, and Lisa Ring, who describes herself as a community organizer.
According to Federal Elections Commission filings, Seidman has raised more than $42,000, but had only $1,644 in cash on hand. Ring had raised more than $67,000, and had $15,195 in cash on hand.
