Georgia’s 2014 campaign season went from interesting to fascinating this week with news that Democrats will head into the year with a Nunn and a Carter at the top of their ticket.
It’s not just the names and the legacies that Michelle Nunn and Jason Carter represent, although that certainly helps. What matters is that the people behind those names are serious players in their own right.
Michelle Nunn, who comes to the U.S. Senate race after years at the head of the national Points of Light volunteer group, remains an enigma to politicians of both parties. She has raised an eye-opening amount of money — $1.7 million in just 10 weeks — which is testament to fundraising and organizational skills honed over decades in the non-profit world.
Her retail political skills, on the other hand, are a mystery yet to be explored, and her extremely tentative, cautious campaign launch suggests they need further honing. Even if you’re born into the political world, as Nunn was as the daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn, watching others do it and doing it yourself are two different things. Too often people underestimate the skills that are demanded of politicians in major races.
Carter is another matter.
He hasn’t served in the state Senate all that long — since 2010 — but as Senate Republicans will tell you in private moments, it didn’t take long to see that he has a lot more going for him than being a former president’s grandson. He’s smart, tough and cares about policy, and he’s more than willing to mix it up in floor debate. Even though he represents an urban, liberal district, he has made it a point to frame state issues in ways that might appeal to more rural voters as well.
In fact, you’d almost think that he has been preparing himself for this day all along.
In part because of his post-presidential philanthropy, Carter’s grandfather Jimmy is sometimes perceived as having been too nice for politics. That’s a serious misreading of the man. You don’t go from peanut farmer in Plains to president of the United States without a deep competitive streak, and the younger Carter has it as well.
“I wouldn’t be getting in this race if I didn’t think I was going to win,” he told the AJC. “I’m still mad that I finished second in my law school class. I’m not in this to finish second.”
Now to the big question: Can they win?
Yes, although “can” win and “will” win are two very different statements. It’s clear that Nunn and Carter have the ability and resources to turn what would have been easy Republican victories into competitive races over the next 12 months. It’s equally clear that both remain serious underdogs. Put another way, even in this red state they can compete well enough to seize the opportunity should their Republican opponents stumble. Given the dire state of the Georgia Democratic Party in recent years, that’s saying a lot.
In addition, with former state Sen. Connie Stokes running for lieutenant governor, Democrats will field a white female, black female and younger white male for the top three spots on the statewide ballot, which may provide a stark contrast with the GOP older-white-male monoculture.
And even if the 2014 elections do prove to be at least one cycle too early in Georgia’s demographic transition toward a swing state, it’s not too early to get experience in the media spotlight and to build name recognition and the foundations of a statewide political network. In politics as in business and sports, losing is often part of the preparation for winning.
