Barrow to skip Democratic convention

Barrow spokesman Richard Carbo said Tuesday that Barrow is not going to the gathering in Charlotte because he is "planning a number of events throughout [the] district during that time." Carbo said he could not give an exact schedule because the events have not been finalized.

Barrow is in his fourth term and faces a difficult re-election test in a district newly redrawn to lean Republican. He moved from Savannah to Augusta this year to remain in the reshaped 12th District.

Four Republicans are competing in a primary to face Barrow in the fall, and national Republicans plan to invest significantly in the quest to unseat the last white Democrat in the Deep South. Their attacks frequently attempt to link Barrow to President Barack Obama.

"Why miss the party?" National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Andrea Bozek said. "John Barrow might as well get some reward for backing Obama's bailouts, spending sprees and Obamacare, because the last thing voters are going to do is reward him in November."

Barrow often has bucked party leaders on big votes, such as the 2010 health care law, and is a leader in the centrist Blue Dog Coalition. He frequently touts his independence from party leadership and did not vote for Rep. Nancy Pelosi last year to be the Democratic leader.

Still, he has been the subject of Republican attack for voting against repeal of the health care law and his support of the 2009 stimulus bill. Also, Obama endorsed Barrow in a 2008 Democratic primary and recorded a radio ad on Barrow's behalf. Barrow attended the convention that year in Denver.

U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jon Tester of Montana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia have said they will not attend the convention, where Obama is to accept the party's nomination. A handful of House members, from mostly Republican-leaning districts, also have announced they will not make the trip.