Georgia’s campaign for governor shifted into litigious territory Friday as boosters of Gov. Nathan Deal and his Democratic challenger, Jason Carter, traded complaints over timely fundraisers and politicized tweets in an effort to tar their opponent as unethical.

Republicans have socked Carter, an Atlanta state senator, and his supporters with a range of complaints in recent days as the governor vows to reinvigorate his last bid for public office. It’s ground Carter’s camp is happy to fight over, offering a fresh chance to revive ethics questions swirling around the governor’s 2010 campaign.

It’s also a sign that the ethics commission, vilified by both campaigns, will play an outsized role in this campaign as it vets this volley of complaints, as well as later rounds that are almost assured to come through November.

“Both campaigns are trying to get an upper hand on the ethics issue,” said Kerwin Swint, a Kennesaw State University political scientist.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman talks to her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified before the U.S. House Select Committee at its fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Credit: TNS

Featured

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman talks to her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified before the U.S. House Select Committee at its fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Credit: TNS