Georgians Together, the pro-Michelle Nunn Super PAC, is making its first foray into TV with the above spot.
Treasurer Keith Mason says the group launched a six-figure buy in Atlanta. The ad attacks David Perdue on the equal pay allegations against Dollar General that have been aired by the Nunn campaign and Emily's List.
Georgians Together reported just $49,000 in its pocket as of the end of June, and Mason expressed concern to us last month about Nunn getting outgunned in the outside money air war.
***
is out with an endorsement of Perdue this morning that cites the aforementioned Emily's List backing of Nunn. From a statement by the group's president, Marjorie Dannenfelser:
"Perdue's opponent Michelle Nunn has earned the endorsement of the radical pro-abortion EMILY's List, which opposes even modest pro-life reforms. We look forward to Perdue's victory over a candidate whose pro-abortion extremism puts her far outside the mainstream, not only for Georgians, but Americans nationwide."
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act would ban abortion after 20 weeks, while making exceptions for rape and incest. The bill was instrumental in the schism between Georgia Right to Life and National Right to Life.
***
There will be a forum-slash-debate on Saturday in Augusta between Democratic U.S. Rep. John Barrow and his Republican challenger Rick Allen, after a venue change and a kerfuffle about who was or was not dropping out.
The forum originally had been scheduled at the Islamic Society of Augusta, to be co-sponsored by the Columbia County News-Times, which is a sister paper to the Augusta Chronicle. But moderator Hossam Fadel told the media and the Barrow campaign that Allen would not show.
That led the Barrow camp to issue a press release Wednesday attacking Allen for dropping out of the event. Allen spokesman Dan McLagan said this was news to him and the campaign had never backed out of anything.
McLagan issued a press release pointing out that Allen proposed five debates and saying that Barrow had an "obviously close association" with the "Muslim cleric" who heads the center.
The forum was moved to the Evans Government Complex. Metro Spirit reports that Augusta Chronicle president Dana Atkins said the venue was changed because one of the candidates -- presumably Allen -- had "apprehension" about holding the event at the Islamic center.
McLagan this morning said via email that was not the case:
"Barrow wanted this one forum, we said yes. He wanted it at the Islamic Center, we scratched our heads but said OK. The paper changed venues, we said yes. Barrow's release claimed we said no but they are allergic to the truth like most people are to snake venom."
Barrow spokesman Richard Carbo wrote in an email that the comments from Atkins and Fadel provide enough evidence that it was Allen who had misgivings, and he alluded to the fact that the Chronicle has not been charitable to Barrow in its opinion pages:
"Bottom line, they got caught coordinating with the partisan Augusta Chronicle to back out of it, and now they're trying to backtrack - throwing anyone under the bus they can along the way."
***
"How did the governor know I was Jewish?"
We started getting emails with those questions shortly after Gov. Nathan Deal sent out a dispatch wishing "peace, prosperity and joy" for the Rosh Hashanah holiday that began Wednesday night.
This was not an intensely targeted marketing campaign, though, we're told. Everyone on Deal's list received the same dispatch.
***
A nugget we missed from earlier this week: The New York Times reports that Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Michael Boggs' controversial nomination to a U.S. District Court judgeship is toast. From Carl Hulse:
Mr. Leahy signaled that Mr. Boggs should withdraw: "He doesn't have the votes."
Mr. Boggs earns the unusual distinction as the first Obama judicial nominee this term to fail because of Democratic opposition.
Nominated as part of a deal between the White House and Georgia's Republican senators to fill a half-dozen court vacancies, Mr. Boggs was opposed by civil rights and progressive groups. He was grilled by Democrats at a May confirmation hearing and pressed to answer additional questions in writing.
The situation was uncomfortable for Democrats, who did not want to defy the president but worried about alienating black voters they need this fall.
***
Nydia Tisdale, the citizen-journalist
, sent us along an interesting footnote to her adventure.
The photo at right is from the Dawson County News and Advertiser and states that readers chose Capt. Tony Wooten as the county's best police officer -- the same Wooten who removed Tisdale from the event in a manner she said was too aggressive. She said the award's timing is questionable, since these accolades usually come out at the end of the year.
***
Our colleague Nicholas Fouriezos takes a deeper look at the fluctuation of jobless rates under governors over at myajc.com. It's worth your time.
About the Author
