12th District: Democrat John Barrow not typical

During redistricting, Republicans drew the district with an eye on getting rid of the four-term Barrow, and national Republicans have already started assaulting him with advertising.

Barrow, meanwhile, is banking on familiarity and the fact that he has often bucked his party. Friday he released a new television advertisement touting his votes against the Affordable Care Act and the fact that he has voted with Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor 54 percent of the time — and directly attacking Anderson for supporting sharp GOP budget cuts. Republicans are using Barrow’s votes against repealing the health care law as attack fodder.

The race is among Republicans’ best opportunities to pick up a seat nationwide. When U.S. House Speaker John Boehner dropped by the Georgia delegation breakfast Thursday in Tampa, he noted that when he first went to Congress there was only one Georgia Republican in the chamber.

“We’re going to have 10 after November — two more,” Boehner said, referring to the Barrow race and the heavily Republican new 9th District, where state Rep. Doug Collins of Gainesville is favored against Democrat Jody Cooley.

After Boehner spoke, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston said fellow Gold Dome Republicans will be working hard for Anderson.

“You are going to see a lot of excitement all over Georgia for Lee Anderson’s race,” Ralston said. “I know many House members are going to be supporting him. I’m going to be supporting him.”

Most of Georgia’s Republican members of Congress already have donated to a special fund to support the nominee, which appears to be Anderson after a tightly contested primary. Anderson leads Augusta businessman Rick Allen by 157 votes after an Aug. 21 runoff, but Allen plans to request a long-shot recount.

Anderson said the mission of his two-day sojourn to Tampa was, in part, to mend fences after a tough primary.

“We’re just seeing the Republican family,” Anderson said. “We’ve had the most important race [in] the state of Georgia and we need the family behind us, and that’s why we’re here.”

While Democrats party in Charlotte next week, Barrow will be hosting a two-day business forum in Augusta, then going to Savannah for a speech by the executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority.

“It shows that he’s all about party and I’m all about Georgia,” Barrow said.

University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock said that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney almost certainly will win the district, probably by a decent margin. Republican John McCain got 56 percent of the presidential vote there in 2008.

“What Barrow has to do to win is he has to get some voters to split the ticket,” Bullock said. “They’ll go in there and vote for Mitt Romney, but they’re also going to vote for John because he’s done a good job or because they met him and like him.”

One place where Barrow is in line with his party is in focusing his attacks concerning Medicare. Barrow compared the GOP plan to turn the seniors health insurance program into a voucher system for future beneficiaries to President George W. Bush’s failed attempt to convert Social Security into personal accounts.

“[Anderson has] already announced he’s a rubber stamp for the worst idea that’s come down the pike since George Bush tried to privatize Social Security,” Barrow said.

Republicans say the Medicare changes are necessary to preserve the program in the face of its soaring costs and dwindling trust fund. Democrats say the voucher benefit will not increase in value enough to keep pace with rising health care costs.

“We have to look at all the proposals, but what they are looking at will be a large amount of our change in our medical area, and I support it,” Anderson said.

He expressed strong support for vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan — “Great, great guy” — the author of controversial U.S. House budget plans that include the Medicare changes. Anderson also supports the approach that House Republicans took during the fight last year over raising the federal borrowing limit, called “Cut, Cap and Balance.” It would impose budget caps and add a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

Anderson said this week that he would like to see the budget balanced in five or six years. The most recent Ryan budget does not project a balanced federal budget for decades, as it cuts taxes as well as spending, though some Republicans say lower taxes would increase revenue in ways the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office does not adequately predict.

“I know we can’t do it overnight, but we must be solid about what we’re going to do,” Anderson said. “We must go forward with it, and we must stay on target.”

His attacks on Barrow focus on pairing him with Obama. On the convention floor Anderson told former Gov. Sonny Perdue that he is eager to get Barrow on television saying he will vote for Obama. Barrow said he will vote for the president, despite their occasional differences, but he sought again to separate himself from the top of the ticket.

“I’m not going to let the president, no matter who it is, do my job,” Barrow said.

During the primary Anderson at times struggled in forum and debate settings, and he declined to debate Allen during the runoff. Asked about the general election, Anderson said: “We’ll be looking at situations where maybe we could possibly have some debates, yeah.”

Barrow has agreed to two debate invitations thus far, but he said, “I don’t feel like it’s necessary to challenge anyone to debate.”

Bullock said the race is a rare instance in which the incumbent is more willing to mix it up onstage than the challenger.

“Part of Anderson’s problem is, as he tries to present himself as he’s on television or whatever, he’s certainly not as verbal as John is,” Bullock said. “Given their communication skills, Barrow would want to debate.”