Ethics overhaul is at root of Deal, Carter campaign pledges

Transparency and ethics in Georgia’s state government are again emerging as key factors in the heated race for governor as top candidates make their final arguments to voters.

Gov. Nathan Deal has tried to neutralize the ethics questions swirling around his first term by advocating for a vast overhaul of the state watchdog agency at the center of the controversy. His challengers, Democrat Jason Carter and Libertarian Andrew Hunt, claim they’ll bring more commitment to clean government.

The vows for more transparency form a central part of their campaign pledges. It’s at the core of one of Deal’s most definitive campaign promises, one that would require him to spend considerable political capital should he win. And Carter, who backs his own ethics shake-up, has committed to new measures designed to hold the office more accountable.